Murder suspect killed by Detroit police after he fires shots at 5th Precinct

DETROIT – Police officers shot and killed a man Tuesday morning who opened fire on the Detroit Police Department’s 5th Precinct.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig said this all started about 11:15 p.m. Monday when the man fatally shot a 28-year-old woman near Grand River and Warren avenues. The shooting erupted during a child custody dispute.

This man then approached the 5th Precinct early Wednesday morning -- about 5:15 a.m. -- in a black SUV. He pulled up to the precinct, got out of the SUV armed with a high-powered rifle and began firing shots at the police station, police said.

Fast facts:

• A man fatally shot a woman Monday night near Grand River and Warren avenues.
• Detroit police said the same man opened fire on the Detroit Police Department’s 5th Precinct about 5:15 a.m. Tuesday.
• The man was fatally shot by officers after a short standoff in the parking lot of a closed business on Conner Street.
• Local 4 originally reported this was related to a break-in at Harper Food Service on Harper Avenue. That was not the case, as the police chief later explained.

The lieutenant at the desk put out a help call, Craig said, and units responded. However, the suspect fled the area. He did engage a responding police squad car, firing at least one bullet at it. The bullet hit the windshield and an officer inside was hit by flying glass on his forehead. He suffered a minor injury.

The suspect did not go far. He sat inside the SUV in the parking lot of a closed business not far from the 5th Precinct on Conner Street. Craig said officers knew he was armed and dangerous. They determined that after the shooting Monday night a text message was sent to family that stated “I told you I was going to kill (the woman) if my child was taken.” The man also referenced police and a judge in the text message.

Chief Craig provides update on fatal shooting of murder suspect -- watch:

Craig said a special reaction team (SRT) arrived at the standoff and moved in closely with armored vehicles. They saw the man holding an AR-15 against his chest. They asked him to put down the weapon, but he shook his head “no,” Craig said. There was an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and SRT.

The man was killed just before 8 a.m.

No other officers were injured.

Craig said this was his department’s 31st barricaded suspect or high-risk incident this year.

Some people who live nearby woke up to gunshots.

“I heard three gunshots. It sounded like it was an AR-15. I heard three gunshots. So then, I step outside to go get my coffee, everything is blocked off,” said a man who lives in the area.

Craig said people who were on their way to work at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant down the street were rerouted when the area was shut down to traffic.

NOTE: Local 4 originally reported this was related to a break-in at Harper Food Service on Harper Avenue. That was not the case, as the chief later explained.

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