Employee shoots, kills self at Ford Stamping Plant in Woodhaven

WOODHAVEN, Mich. – Woodhaven police said a disgruntled employee at the Ford Stamping Plant on West Road shot and killed himself Friday morning inside the plant. 

Police first were calling this an active situation, then confirmed shots were fired inside the plant. 

Woodhaven Deputy Chief of Police Scott Fraczek said the employee entered the building with a gun to resolve some sort of labor relation issue. 

"As officers approached he pulled out the gun and killed himself," said Fraczek. 

Fraczek said it's unclear what the labor dispute was. 

However, the plant manager's family told Local 4 and ClickOnDetroit the employee was angry about being written up for being late multiple times and he went to the plant manager’s office. The manager and others tried to talk him down as he was waving around his gun.

Police said the man did not fire the weapon at anyone else and no other shots were fired. No other injuries were reported. 

Woodhaven later dentified the gunman as 21-year-old Jacoby Hennings, of Harper Woods. Police said had been working at the plant part-time since March. It was a temporary position, police said. 

Ford Motor Company released this statement: 

"Employees at Woodhaven Stamping Plant are safe after they were evacuated when a worker pulled a gun at the plant and shot himself. Woodhaven Police are on the scene."

Police also said the man dropped a package inside the building, which prompted Michigan State Police to respond with a bomb squad. 

State police said the scene is secure. The unattended package has been cleared by a K9 officer. 

The building was evacuated Friday morning. 

The plant is located on West Road near I-75. 

Stay with ClickOnDetroit for more information as it becomes available. 

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Ford plant worker describes scare: Run! Run! 

A plant employee, who goes by Leonard, said he believes the man who shot himself was a part-time employee. Leonard said he saw the man get sent home early. He described the tense moments when his supervisor told him to run out of the plant. 

"This morning I was on the line getting everything ready to go, and then one of the part-timers came in late. Instead of putting it the work, it looked to me like he was under the influence or something. They sent him home. They walked him out," said Leonard. "About an hour and 1/2 later my chairman comes running through. He tells me to drop everything I'm doing, 'Run as fast as you can, there's a shooter in the plant!' So I'm just saying, 'What the hell? What the hell is going on?' He said, 'Run Lenny, run!'"

Leonard was visibly shaken as he and his coworkers who were evacuated out of the building stood waiting to learn when they would be able to go home. 

"I'm very torn up right now. I'm scared. I'm shaking. My chest is hurting. I just want to be home with my family. That's the only thing that's going through my mind, being home with my family," he said. 

He said when he was running out of the plant he was telling everyone he saw to do the same. 

"I started running and I'm telling everybody when I'm running out the door, everyone behind me, 'Run! Run! There's a gunner. There's a guy with a gun.' Then about 15 minutes later I heard that it was the part-timer who got sent home early who was the shooter," he said. 

Leonard said he was thinking about his own family when he was rushing out of the plant. 

"I didn't want to die. It's not my time. I got grandkids and everything, and I didn't want to die," he said. 

He's worked at the plant for two decades and never felt unsafe until now. 

"Everybody is hugging each other. Everyone is crying. Everyone can't understand how this could happen at our plant. I've been here 23 years and I have never felt unsafe in this plant. Now, I just don't know," he said.