VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A shelter-in-place order for a Wayne County neighborhood was lifted after an alleged barricaded gunman was taken into custody.
The standoff lasted roughly an hour on Wednesday, June 25, prompting police to close a stretch of Bog Road between Hoeft and Rawsonville roads in Van Buren Township.
Just before 12:30 p.m., the Van Burne Township Department of Public Safety urged residents to shelter-in-place and avoid the area due to an active shooter.
A handcuffed man, confirmed by police as the suspect, was taken to a police cruiser just after 1 p.m. No injuries were reported.
“They had 10 police cars, SWAT, and apparently he finally gave up and they took him into custody,” said Beth Smith, a resident who was sitting on her porch two doors down when the incident began. “First thing I saw was three little kids riding their bikes. I heard pop, pop, pops, and I thought it was firecrackers. Next thing I see, they’re riding their bikes back down that way, and he goes down about five houses and sits there.”
Her neighbor, believed to be in his 40s, turned around after a few minutes and went back home. That’s when Smith heard more gunshots and saw the children run to another neighbor’s house for help. They called Van Buren Township police.
According to authorities, the man was recklessly firing guns at houses and people in the neighborhood. When police arrived on the scene, he reportedly was still firing before barricading himself inside a home.
Police believe he had been drinking at the time.
