Dearborn Hampton Inn fatal shooting: Everything we know
The gunman involved in a fatal shooting is expected to be arraigned Sunday, just two days after the confrontation with a hotel clerk turned violent.
The incident, which police say was sparked by a billing dispute, resulted in the death of a clerk, 55, of Riverview, at the Hampton Inn hotel on Michigan Avenue in downtown west Dearborn. A statement from the hotel said the dispute was not related to billing or a request for refund, but did not elaborate further on what did cause it. Local, state and federal law enforcement took part in the seven hours-long siege until about 8:30 p.m. when the gunman surrendered into custody.
The arraignment is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday at the 19th District Court. A spokesperson with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office declined a Free Press request for more information on what charges are being pursued.
On Friday morning, the city's downtown appears to have returned to its usual operations, the police's heavy artillery no longer lining the street, traffic along the avenue has resumed. Access to the hotel's lobby is restricted and an employee could not confirm whether afternoon check-ins would happen Friday afternoon.
More:Shooting suspect surrenders at Dearborn's Hampton Inn, 1 killed, police say
What caused the shooting?
Police said the dispute started with a billing concern that escalated violently. The suspect shot the clerk with a rifle shortly after 1 p.m. on the hotel's third floor, no others were injured during the incident.
“There was a confrontation over a bill. (The gunman) was upset, asking for a refund,” and the shooting happened on the third floor, he said. Police arrived after about 2 minutes, and “when we saw him going up the hallway, he saw us and ducked into his room,” after which the suspect began shouting threats to officers, Dearborn police Chief Issa Shahin said.
However, in a statement Friday night, the hotel contradicted police and said the dispute was not sparked by a billing dispute or request for refund.
Shahin also pointed to the gunman's history of drug abuse and mental illness, using this as an opportunity to echo a call for increased mental health support nationwide. The family of the gunman told police that he suffers from untreated PTSD, a city spokesman said.
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The gunman, of Detroit, is in police custody at the Dearborn police station on Michigan Avenue as of Friday afternoon.
The negotiation
The hours-long negotiation process enlisted high-tech tools, pleas on broadcast television by the police chief and several members of the suspect's family — including one who came to the scene, Dearborn police said Thursday. Shahin managed the negotiations and siege of the suspect's hotel room from a command post inside the hotel.
Getting the suspect to surrender took tireless and expert negotiating by the Dearborn police crisis team, Shahin said. Police said they enlisted high-tech tactics, both to negotiate with the shooter and to keep tabs on his location and behavior. Their tools included cellphones, robots, and drones, “to do everything we can for a peaceful resolution," Dearborn police spokesman Cpl. Dan Bartok said.
Almost all guests in the hotel were able to evacuate during the shooting — except one. The lone guest was rescued from the building's third floor using a fire truck's ladder and through a shattered window that was broken by first responders.
Officials' response
“We ask everybody to pray for our police officers (and) first responders,” Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said to reporters at the scene Thursday. “Pray for the family of the victim, as well as pray for the family of the assailant," he urged.
"We know that there are broader issues at hand as it pertains to the mental health crisis that's ongoing not only in our region but in our state, in our country, as well as accessibility to firearms. And we're hoping that those in the right positions of power do act on this. It's about time that we had solutions,” Hammoud said.
Hammoud and Shahin pointed to the urgent need for greater mental health resources in response to Thursday's incident.
“There’s a broader issue here of people with mental illness who get involved with guns,” the chief said.
What's going to happen to the suspect?
Dearborn police are continuing to investigate what potential charges could be brought against the gunman, a city spokesman said homicide is among the charges being considered and others may also be pursued. An arraignment is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. at the 19th District Court in Dearborn.
Free Press reporters Emma Stein, Niraj Warikoo, Bill Laitner and Frank Witsil contributed to this report.
mmarini@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dearborn Hampton Inn fatal shooting: Everything we know
