DETROIT (WXYZ) — A suspect is dead and a woman is in the hospital after the man allegedly assaulted her for several hours. The 13-hour standoff ended when Detroit police shot the suspect, who they say raised his weapon.
That makes three barricaded situations in less than a week for the Detroit Police Department.
Dale Dickerson lives directly across the street from where this one happened on Schaefer Highway and Vassar Drive.
“The gentlemen opened the door. He was yelling he would never go back to prison," he recalled.
Those are some of the last words spoken by the suspect in the standoff, which started around 6:20 p.m. Sunday.
Dickerson said he was surprised to see the standoff still taking place when he woke up this morning and prepared to head to work. He said police ordered him to shelter in place.
“I had to call off for work and wait it out. I was pretty much a prisoner in my own home,” Dickerson described.
Detroit Police Department Chief James White said someone called 911 and reported shots fired. When officers arrived, he said there was a fight inside the home. A man was upset with a woman about an interaction she had with another man.
The chief said an uncle in the home intervened. At some point, someone produced a weapon. There was a struggle, and that gun went off. A bullet hit the suspect in the leg.
Two witnesses ran out of the home, according to police. The suspect then barricaded himself in the home with the woman he argued with. For several hours, the man beat, pistol whipped and sexually assaulted her, 7 Action News learned.
Police negotiated with the suspect for several hours and eventually convinced him to let the woman out of the home. Negotiators then brought over his family to try and get him to come out.
“Many times, he says to us he is not going back to prison. That he is going to shoot it out with us. That he wants to be killed or he’s going to kill himself,” the chief said.
"Special Response Team (SRT) surrounds the home. We hear gunshots. We gas the home to try and get him out with a non-lethal process. At which time, he exits the side of the home with a gun in hand, points the gun at one of our officers. Fearing for his safety, officer fired one shot and he is deceased on the scene," the chief continued.
Dickerson said the whole experience was like something you see in the movies.
“It’s more surreal when it happens right in your neighborhood — right across the street from you," he said.
In less than a week, Detroit police have had three barricaded situations. The chief was asked what he thinks is behind the frequency.
“There’s so many different variables to it. A lot of domestic violence, a lot of mental health issues. I don’t know — crisis. We just hope that people choose not to use weapons to solve disputes. We just hope people get the mental health help that they need," White explained.
After the scene cleared, 7 Action News spoke with a woman who identified herself as the victim’s mother. She said her daughter's partner was known to have a temper and was the jealous and possessive type.
The chief said the suspect did not have to let things go this far.
“It’s hard to give advice in these types of situations. They are necessary. They are unwarranted. Enough is enough. I mean, my goodness. Break up with folks. You don’t have to go through all of this because you’re having problems," he said.
Dickerson said, “It’s good she made it out. Crazy situation.”
The chief said Michigan State Police are handling the investigation and will give their findings to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for review. He said DPD is also conducting its own internal review.
