Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
The 27-year-old son of a Warren political activist suffered minor injuries when he was shot at late Saturday in an apparent road rage incident, according to police and the victim's father.
Jerry Bell III was struck in the leg and able to return fire before his vehicle ran off the road and the other car sped off, his father said.
"I got a call from him Saturday night and he's saying 'Daddy, someone shot at me,' and the first thing I could think of was all these freeway shootings we've been having lately," Jerry Bell Jr., the victim's father, said.
According to Warren police, the incident took place about 10:30 p.m. on northbound Mound Road near 11 Mile Road. Two men in a burgundy Chevy Impala with gold rims began driving alongside of the younger Bell's car before the driver pulled out a gun and fired at least two shots.
"We're still investigating, but it appears to be a case of road rage," said Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer. "The victim was transported to the hospital as one of the bullets grazed the side of his leg."
The victim, who has a license to carry a concealed pistol, pulled his gun out of the glove box and fired once at his attacker's vehicle. In the commotion, his car struck another vehicle as the initial shooter drove off. The victim's car then jumped a curb and became disabled.
Jerry Bell Jr. said his son was on his way to work at a Sterling Heights plant when he first noticed the Impala driving alongside of him starting around Eight Mile Road. The Impala pulled in front of his son's car and the passenger reached out the window and made a gesture as if to indicate his son should pass the car, the father said.
"He said the passenger was staring really, really hard at him as the two cars went down Mound," Bell said. "The passenger was reclined all the way back in his seat. Then the driver fired two shots at him. My son returned fire once, because he didn't want to accidentally strike someone else."
One of the gunshots did not penetrate all the way through the car door, Bell said. If it had continued, his son likely would have been struck in the chest, he added. The other struck his leg.
Bell, who was working at his job as a taxi driver, got a call on his cellphone from his son telling him what had just happened. He wasn't far from the area and drove right over to the scene.
He said his son carries a handgun "for protection."
Bell said his son -- the second-oldest of eight children -- is a single parent of a 5-year-old girl who stays out of trouble. He described his son as a "smart, young hard-working man."
"He's still a little shaken up," Bell said. "It was a pretty rough night for him."
Bell also praised the "professionalism" of Warren police officers and firefighters who responded to the incident.
Bell has been active in Warren's political scenes for several years. He was involved in asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the redistricting of City Council seats in 2011 and unsuccessfully ran for a seat in District 5 against now-incumbent Eddie Kabacinski.