DETROIT – When police responded to a fatal shooting Thursday morning in Detroit, the shooter allegedly told them he “had to do it."

Vietnam veteran Anthony Foster, 69, and his nephew, Devon Gillard, 42, were killed at a home on Manor Street, near the intersection of Meyers and Plymouth roads.

What happened

Police said there were three people inside the home when a fight broke out. One of them, a 44-year-old man, pulled out a gun and fatally shot the other two men in the head about 2:50 a.m. Thursday.

After the shooting, police said the gunman, who is the victims’ cousin, called the victims’ parents. The parents went to the home but didn’t realize there were two people fatally shot. Police said they may have thought they were sleeping, but definitely didn’t think the men were dead.

The parents left the home. However, a sister of one of the victims thought something wasn’t right. She called 911 asking for police to check on the home.

Police officers went to the home and the suspect greeted them at the door. He talked to the officers but did not let them inside.

Eventually, the officers decided something was wrong and they needed to go inside the home. They kicked in the side door to the home, got inside, confronted the suspect who tossed a gun into a room. The suspect surrendered to police, but as he surrendered he told the officers that he “had to do it," police said.

Police have an ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information on this crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-Speak Up.