Gunman Accused Of Murdering Young Mother Opens Fire At Detroit Police Station

Detroit, MI – An accused murder suspect opened fire at a Detroit police precinct early Tuesday morning, leading to an armed standoff with officers.

Investigators said the 28-year-old unnamed gunman fatally shot a 28-year-old woman in the midst of a child custody dispute near Grand River and Warren at approximately 11:15 p.m. on Nov. 30, WJBK reported.

“I told you I was going to kill [the woman] if my child was taken,” the alleged gunman wrote in a text to family members after the murder, according to WDIV.

The suspect, who had a history of domestic violence, was also wanted for a warrant out of Springfield at the time of the attack, WJBK reported.

At about 5:15 a.m. on Tuesday, he made his way to the Detroit Police Department’s (DPD) 5th Precinct in a black SUV, laid a rifle across his hood, and fired at least four bullets at the occupied building, according to police.

At least one of the rounds shattered one of two bullet-resistant planes of glass separating the front desk from the building’s outer door, a DPD commanding officer told WJBK.

A lieutenant sitting at the desk at the time of the attack managed to escape out a rear exit and radioed for help.

The gunman fled the area while other units were responding, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said during a press conference on Tuesday.

He allegedly opened fire on a responding patrol car at one point, shattering the windshield of the vehicle.

The officer driving the cruiser suffered a forehead injury due to the flying glass, Chief Craig said.

The gunman ended up pulling into the parking lot of a closed business on Conner Street, WJBK reported.

He barricaded himself inside his SUV as officers repeatedly tried to speak with him, according to WDIV.

The DPD’s Special Response Team (SRT) was called to the scene and began moving closer to the suspect using armored vehicles.

“As they moved in, they could see he was holding an AR-15 and officers asked to see his hands,” Chief Craig said, according to WJBK.

The suspect, who was holding the weapon against his own chest, shook his head “no” in response, the chief said.

An exchange of gunfire between the SRT and the gunman erupted a moment later, WDIV reported.

Officers immediately began rendering aid to the wounded suspect, but he did not survive, according to WJBK.

None of the officers were hit during the shootout.

Chief Craig said he believes there “could have been additional carnage” if police hadn’t quickly blocked the gunman in and prevented him from escaping.

“Our critics who always complain about ‘why would you need an armored vehicle?’ This is a clear example of that,” the chief noted. “It’s about saving lives. There’s no way that a police car could go in close in that kind of a situation and withstand the weaponry that this individual had.”