Detroit police shoot alleged armed robber after standoff
Mar. 5—DETROIT — A Detroit police officer shot a man Thursday after the man allegedly pointed a rifle at customers in an east-side gas station, holed up in a nearby house, and then ran outside leveling the gun at a group of cops.
The suspect was listed in temporary serious condition after the incident, which started about 5 p.m. when officers from the 7th Precinct responded to a call about trouble at a Sunoco gas station at East Warren and Cadillac, Detroit police Cmdr. Darin Szilagy said.
"The man was highly intoxicated, brandishing an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle," he said. "The man was very agitated, pointing it at and threatening customers, threatening the clerk. He demanded he open the door to gain access behind the counter; the clerk wisely said no."
By the time police arrived, the man had left the gas station, Szilagy said.
"We canvassed the area ... (officers) contacted this man, who's still armed with the rifle, in the 4500 block of Pennsylvania," Szilagy said. "(Officers) gave him the command to stop and surrender, at which time the man ran into a house on the block."
The crew called for a supervisor, who declared it a barricaded gunman situation.
"Officers surrounded the house, and they tried to negotiate for him to come out," Szilagy said. "He would not."
While the officers awaited additional resources, the man kept darting out of the house, Szilagy said.
"The man came out on the porch multiple times armed with the rifle," he said. "Officers were giving him the clear command to put the gun down and surrender. Obviously, we're dealing with someone with substance abuse and possible mental issues.
"At some point, the subject came off the porch, and started coming down the middle of the street where we had officers stationed blocking traffic off Warren," Szilagy said. "The subject pointed the gun at an officer; the officer fired one shot, which struck the subject."
Officers then put the man in their squad car and took him to the hospital, Szilagy said.
"These officers were faced with a very dangerous situation with an unstable individual, and we're happy with how they performed," Szilagy said. "It's unfortunate, but there was no other option. There was not a pepper spray or Taser option; this man had a long gun."
Szilagy said police were still trying to determine the man's identity.
The Detroit police Homicide Task Force will investigate the shooting. The officer who fired will be placed on administrative leave during the probe, he said.
"Criminal charges are pending for the suspect," Szilagy said.
The police official said the officers at the scene were "very, very patient. They were in a fatal force situation almost from the beginning, but they tried the tactics we use to de-escalate."
The incident marks the second time this week Detroit police officers have shot a reportedly armed suspect. On Monday, a Cincinnati man suspected of killing his wife and two others in southwest Ohio was shot by Detroit officers outside the Rivertown Inn & Suites on Jefferson Avenue, after Chief James Craig said he opened fire on a Detroit police surveillance team.
The man, Chandra Moore, 55, remained in critical condition Thursday.
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