Daniel Bethencourt

Detroit Free Press

A long-running and bloody feud between two families turned once again to violence this weekend when by coincidence members of both families booked parties at Play Atlantis in Melvindale, police say.

At first, it was just pushing and shoving. Then it devolved into an ugly brawl with about 20 people trading punches inside the family fun center on Allen Road.

Then -- with several dozen children watching -- one man retrieved a gun and fired a single shot into the head of Sean Lawrence Key, 44, killing him, according to Melvindale Police Chief Chad Hayse.

Hayse said police are searching for Lamar Carter, 23, of Detroit, as a suspect in the killing.

“There’s a war going on, and they happened to be at the same place and the same time yesterday,” Hayse said Sunday.

“Once you put them in the same little room, stuff started happening,” Hayse said.

The families connected with Carter and Key have been fighting since at least 2015, when one family member opened fire on an opposing family member outside a Detroit home, Hayse said.

That incident ended when the person inside returned fire, striking and killing the assailant outside, Hayse said.

From there, the conflict continued. Police heard that someone’s home may have been torched, Hayse said. Details in the time line are still being worked out, and the backstory is “convoluted,” he said.

But then on Saturday, the two families both showed up at Play Atlantis.

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That chaos began unfolding about 7 p.m. The venue was fairly busy, with more than 100 bystanders drawn to arcade games and kid-friendly amusements. A manager at Play Atlantis declined to comment Monday.

The venue also features an adjacent banquet room for parties and large events, where more than 30 of Key’s relatives were just getting ready to leave a birthday party. But roughly that many people connected to Carter were on the way in, carrying bottles of soda. There were several children from both sides, including some infants.

The two sides recognized each other almost immediately. Soon they were pushing and shoving in at least three separate altercations, Hayse said. Near the building’s entrance, a woman was beaten to the ground. Someone’s hair was torn out, and someone’s earrings fell to the floor.

“It wasn’t a dispute,” Hayse said. “It wasn’t an argument. It was a fight.”

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In the midst of that fight, Hayse said, Carter allegedly left the building, returned with a firearm, approached Key and shot him once in the head.

Carter then fled, along with virtually all of the 100 or so people who had been inside.

Meanwhile, some members of the two families have decamped from their own homes and rented hotel rooms because they are afraid of even more retaliation.

Only six witnesses have come forward, not counting Play Atlantis employees.

“We’ve been trying to track down anyone in the building,” Hayse added.

Fortunately, Hayse said, the entire incident was caught on surveillance video at the business.

Anyone with information about the shooting can call Melvindale police at 313-429-1070.

Contact Daniel Bethencourt: 313-223-4531 or dbethencourt@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @_dbethencourt.