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Man killed in shootout with Detroit police connected to Redford Township double-homicide, police say

Man believed to be responsible for a deadly double-shooting in Redford Township, police say

DETROIT – A man shot and killed by Detroit police Saturday afternoon is believed to be connected to a Redford Township double-homicide.

UPDATE: Police identify double-murder suspect killed in shootout with Detroit officers

According to authorities, officers were near the intersection of Woodlawn and Van Dyke avenues at about 4:45 p.m. when they confronted the man. Police said the man fired on the police officers, who returned fire, killing the suspect. No other injuries were reported.

Police claim the man was responsible for the deaths of two women in Redford Township at about midnight.

The family of 18-year-old Lysa Blake can’t stop thinking about what kind of person she was.

“She loved her family,” Mitchell Blake said. “Family was everything to her.”

Lysa Blake wasn’t the only victim. Dania Phillips, 49, was also fatally shot in her home on Mercedes Street, near Beech Daly and Five Mile roads.

Sources told Local 4 a family friend was in the home when a loud and violent argument started between the man and Phillips.

Police said Phillips’ 16-year-old daughter and Lysa Blake ran upstairs from the basement. Mitchell Blake said his daughter tried to stop the argument and that’s when the man fatally shot her.

“My baby died a hero,” Mitchell Blake said. “It’s hard. I never get to walk my baby girl down the aisle, never going to see her graduate from college."

After Lysa Blake was shot, police said Phillips ran outside, where the man shot and killed her.

“Dania is a sweetheart,” said Evelyn Thomas-Stewart, Phillips’ sister. “She’s a beautiful, beautiful person. The woman will take the clothes off her back and give it to you.”

Thomas-Stewart said she doesn’t understand how the shooting could have happened with a man they considered family.

“This man has been in our life for the past 33 years,” Thomas-Stewart said. “We considered him to be our stepfather.”

ORIGINAL STORY: Double-homicide suspect killed in shootout with Detroit police

The man was tracked down to a neighborhood bar on Detroit’s east side near I-94.

Police said he fired at officers who approached him with a search warrant and the officers fired back, killing him.

Phillips’ 4-year-old grandson and 16-year-old daughter were in the Redford Township house and witnessed the deadly shooting.

“She’s not well. She lost her mother and her best friend. She is not doing well," Thomas-Stewart said. “To witness her mother being murdered and her best friend? That’s beyond... it’s unfathomable.”

No other injuries were reported.

The investigation is ongoing.


About the Authors
Nick Monacelli headshot

Nick joined the Local 4 team in February of 2015. Prior to that he spent 6 years in Sacramento covering a long list of big stories including wildfires and earthquakes. Raised in Sterling Heights, he is no stranger to the deep history and pride Detroit has to offer.

Dane Kelly headshot

Dane is a producer and media enthusiast. He previously worked freelance video production and writing jobs in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.

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