Skip to main content
Partly Cloudy icon
25º

Woman killed, man and dog injured in 'random' stabbing, home invasion in Washtenaw County

Suspect was arrested

WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – A woman died, and a man and a dog were injured in a “random” overnight home invasion and assault on Friday in Pittsfield Township.

Pittsfield Township Police officers responded to the reported home invasion on Breckland Drive just after midnight on Sept. 13.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found an 82-year-old man and an 81-year-old woman suffering life-threatening injuries. Officers learned the suspect, a 40-year-old man from Pittsfield Township, ran from the scene and was found knocking on a neighboring resident’s door. The suspect was arrested.

In an audio recording of the 911 call, neighbors described the suspect as “a Black man, naked, armed with a short knife.”

The suspect was arrested.

The man and woman injured were sent to a local hospital. Police said lifesaving surgical efforts were made, but the woman, later identified as Susan Hammerton, died from her injuries. The man suffered several lacerations and is stable.

Police said a dog also suffered severe lacerations from the incident and was taken to a local veterinary hospital for treatment.

According to police, the victims and the suspect did not know each other. They believe there was an altercation between the suspect and members of his family at a house on Weatherstone Drive before the home invasion and assault.

The suspect was lodged at the Washtenaw County Jail pending further investigation and review by the prosecutor’s office.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident is asked to contact the Pittsfield Township Police Department at 734-822-4958.


About the Authors
Samantha Sayles headshot

Samantha Sayles is an Oakland University alumna who’s been writing Michigan news since 2022. Before joining the ClickOnDetroit team, she wrote stories for WILX in Lansing and WEYI in Flint.

Priya Mann headshot

Priya joined WDIV-Local 4 in 2013 as a reporter and fill-in anchor. Education: B.A. in Communications/Post Grad in Advanced Journalism

Loading...