DEARBORN, Mich. – The family of a Dearborn man who was fatally shot at a Dearborn police station is asking for a full investigation.
Ali Naji, 33, was shot and killed after police said he pulled the trigger of a stolen gun aimed at a police officer, and the officer returned fire. The family has hired a lawyer to help figure out what exactly happened.
Naji, 33, was, by all accounts, a deeply troubled man. Nabih Ayad, his attorney from a 2016 criminal arson case, told Local 4:
“He lit a little strip mall on fire thinking that he wanted to keep people warm in the winter time. No one was injured, thank God.”
Ayad asked a judge to forego jail time after Naji assaulted Wayne County Jail staffers.
“It was extensive mental health treatment that he received” said Ayad.
Now, Naji’s family has hired a different attorney to help them figure out the details of his violent death.
Michigan State Police Lt. Michael Shaw described the incident inside the Dearborn Police Department lobby Sunday afternoon.
“You can see him walking up to the front desk and pulls out a 9mm handgun from his pocket, points it at the police officer that’s behind the desk, and pulls the trigger,” said Shaw.
Read: Dearborn police officer fatally shoots man after he walks into station lobby with stolen gun drawn
The new family lawyer, Amir Makled, says he believes the officer was not seated in the bullet-resistant booth when Naji entered the police department.
Shaw has seen the security video of the incident. Makled has not. He also wants to know more about Naji’s behavior before the shooting, noting the lobby was empty.
“He walked in and scanned the lobby to either shoot somebody else that was in the lobby as he walked in there and pulled a handgun,” Shaw said.
The family is most curious about whether there was an opportunity for Dearborn police to de-escalate this situation. Shaw made it clear in speaking with Local 4 that there wasn’t much time for that.
More than anything, the Naji family says it wants prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office to inspect this entire case to see if there are possible charges.
Local 4 reached out to her office Wednesday and didn’t hear back, likely because right now, Michigan State Police are conducting the investigation, and they are the ones who decide which prosecutor to send their findings to.
