NORTHVILLE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The Michigan Attorney General’s Office has determined that there were no criminal violations after reviewing an unannounced active shooter drill at a psychiatric hospital for children in Wayne County.
The Hawthorn Center was a state-run psychiatric hospital for children in Northville Township, Michigan. On Dec. 21, 2022, the center held an active shooter drill. Patients, and most of the staff, were not told that a drill would be conducted. Many people inside the center said they were terrified when an announcement came on the loudspeaker that active shooters were on the premises.
According to a statement from the press secretary for the Attorney General’s Office, the department conducted a review of any possible criminal offenses that may have fit the actions taken by the people responsible for the drill. The investigation found that there were no violations of any relevant criminal statutes.
“The Department of Attorney General has concluded our review of the unannounced active shooter drill at the Hawthorn Center. The Department conducted an exhaustive analysis of any applicable criminal offenses that may have fit the actions taken by the Hawthorn Center and individuals responsible for the drill. We erected a conflict wall within the Department between our attorneys investigating the drill for any possible criminal violations and those who represent the state agencies involved. Our extensive investigation did not find any violations of any relevant criminal statutes connected to the drill.”
Danny Wimmer, press secretary for the Attorney General's Office
Lawsuits filed, Hawthorn Center closed
Even police had not been notified that a drill was taking place. According to documents, 911 calls came in reporting active shooters and 22 police officers rushed to the center. People inside the center were terrified and employees working at the center said it was chaos inside the building.
Body camera footage from police officers shows them rushing to the scene. Northville Township wasn’t the only department that responded -- Northville, Livonia and Michigan State Police also rushed there. When they arrived, officers quickly grabbed their tactical weapons and heavy gear.
Officers made contact with two people in front of the building. They told the officers that they were employees and that the “active shooter” situation was just a drill. The employees sprawled out on the ground until officers could confirm it was a drill.
The two people police made contact with outside the facility were Hawthorn Center employees who had been instructed to walk through the building during the drill. One of them, Brandon Woodruff, has filed a lawsuit against the state because of the impact he said this traumatic incident has had on his life. Two class action lawsuits have also been filed.
The Hawthorn Center has been closed and patients were moved to the Walter P. Reuther Psychiatric Hospital in June. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is building a new psychiatric hospital on the Hawthorn site.
An employee reached out to Local 4 with concerns about how the children are being treated at the Walter P Reuther Psychiatric Hospital. They said children have not been allowed outside to get fresh air for months.
---> Employee says children at Walter Reuther Psychiatric Hospital weren’t allowed outside for months