LANSING, MI — When bullets start flying, most people run for the hills as fast as their feet or vehicle will take them. Not Keith Goree. Goree, 45, a chauffeur for Allure Limo Service, became an impromptu ambulance driver early Sunday morning when a late-night shuttle of Grand Rapids men were attacked by a man with a gun outside a Lansing night club. The incident ended with one person shot in the leg, but Allure owner Britney Collins said the outcome could have been worse if not for the cool under fire displayed by Goree, dodging bullets mere months after starting with the new limo service in March. “My first instinct would have been to leave,” said Collins, 24. “I’m so thankful for him. I don’t know if the fate for everyone would have been the same without Keith.” “His instincts were impeccable.” The party bus shuttle between Grand Rapids and Lansing was a routine affair for Goree until last call at the Fahrenheit Ultra Lounge on South Cedar Street. The group of about 13 men from Grand Rapids had been inside the club since about midnight when Goree, sitting in the bus waiting to begin the drive home, noticed a commotion out the driver’s side window about 2 a.m. Suddenly, shots rang out and people leaving the club began to run and scream. Two men in Goree’s group came sprinting around the front of bus, chased by a third man with a gun. Goree had the engine running and quickly opened the door for the men, who dove into the bus for cover as the shooter approached the door. Goree closed it with a lever and gunned the engine to leave, but not before the man got off a round though the glass that hit one passenger in the leg. Goree hit the gas and sped off, ducking his head. “I was lucky the car in front of me was already gone,” he said. Screeching out of the parking, Goree whipped the bus around to pick up the rest of the group, which had taken refuge across the street at the nearby Speedway station. With everyone aboard, Goree drove to the hospital, where police were waiting to take statements and document the interior of the bus, which was covered in blood. The injured club-goer lost a lot of blood but is expected to survive, reported WILX in Lansing. “His whole pants in the crotch area were soaked,” said Goree. “It looked like somebody spilled red wine all over.” A husband and father, Goree still shaken-up following the incident. Given the position of the driver’s seat in the bus and the angle of the shots fired, he feels fortunate not to have been injured or killed. “If I didn’t pull off, I’m dead,” said Goree, who was the requested driver for the night’s transport. “I got a wife and kids,” he said. “I don’t want to die. I’m just trying to make an honest living,” he said. “This guy — he’s gonna kill me and I’m not even one of (the club-goers). That scared me. It could have been my life.” After the incident, Collins asked the passengers what prompted the incident and was told the shooter didn’t like them simply because they were from out of town and “were being flashy,” she said. “It’s stupid. Goree said his passengers were “not rowdy” guys. It’s unclear exactly how the apparent parking lot disagreement devolved into violence. A call to Lansing police was not immediately returned. “We’re from Detroit and we know that people get killed at these urban clubs all the time for stupid things,” said Collins.. “I have no doubt in my mind this guy was out to kill.” The shooting is the first major incident for the young company. Collins started the limo service in Grand Rapids in April after operating a similar shuttle in Mount Pleasant for Central Michigan University students since 2010. The business grew out of a class project during her senior year. Related: New limousine service rolls out the red carpet for customers The damage to the bus was limited to broken glass and some blood-soaked carpet, she said, estimating a $600 bill to get everything fixed. Unfortunately, there’s not much she can do to guard against such incidents. In the future, “we’ll try to maybe look at what clubs we’re going to and their track records, but we can’t rule out going to the bars on late nights because that would put us right out of business,” she said.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 22:14:00 +0000
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