A 64-year-old man walked into a southeastern Michigan police station today and opened fire, precipitating a shootout that ended with him dead and a police officer wounded, police said.
The man, who was not immediately identified, entered the building that houses the Southfield Police Department around 2:20 p.m. with a handgun and pointed it at an officer sitting behind bullet-proof glass, said police spokesman Lt. Nick Loussia.
Refusing requests to put down the gun, the man started firing at the desk officer, according to Loussia. The first officer to respond - a sergeant in his 50s who has been with the Southfield force for more than 25 years - was shot in the shoulder, said Loussia.
That officer and others returned fire, hitting the shooter. Both wounded men were treated at the scene and moved to a nearby hospital, the police spokesman said.
The 64-year-old later died from his injuries at the hospital. Loussia said authorities do not know why the man opened fire at the police station.
The wounded officer, meanwhile, is in stable condition. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the officer and his family," Loussia said.
A similar incident less than two years ago about 15 miles to the southeast, in Detroit, prompted police in Southfield to take additional security precautions, according to Loussia. In that case, a 38-year-old man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl wounded four officers when he opened fire in a Detroit police station, before he himself was shot dead.
In addition to protective glass around the desk area, only the lobby of the police station in Southfield - a city of about 72,000 people - is open to public, said Loussia.
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I blame obama
Simply do not understand the "suicide by cop" mindset.
it's cowardice. That's all it is, plain and simple.
"Loussia said authorities do not know why the man opened fire at the police station." Yeah it's a REAL MYSTERY why people want to shoot up police stations.
Protective glass in the lobby didn't stop Arnold. "I'll be back."
A sad event. Clearly they need to investigate what made this man do it, but at least no one else was killed.
The article says 11/12, today and 2:20pm. So this hasn't happened yet?
suicide by cop, that's all this is
There's more to this story we're not hearing
I wish these people would just start killing themselves and not trying to take innocent victims down with them.
This was clearly suicide by Police. He was too much of a coward to take his own life, so he had them do it for him.
Innocent? It was a police station!
That's what the cops said, they probably put the gun in his hand after they blew him away for target practice. that's how they do it in L.A.
My brother in law is a cop there. I have known him and many of the other officers there. They are not dirty... they are VERY professional.
LOL So that's how they keep the population down in L.A.!!
If you are too much a coward to put the gun to your own head, there's no better proxy than others who have guns. Since the police are the only ones empowered to act with impunity in such situations, this man's at achieved his desired ending and got no one into trouble.
Fully agree.
well beside the cop he wounded, and the one who killed him and will be scarred for life?
this isn'T hollywood. You don't just move on.
There lives are less important than ordinary citizens, and I am sick and tired of the media making a tragic drama when one of them dies in the line of duty.
No cops were killed in this incident – do you read at all? Or are you referring to the citizen who was killed?
You are some kind of sick if you think anyone's life is less important than anyone elses.
THEIR (not "there") lives are no less important than anyone else's. If you place so little value on police officers, one can only hope you never need the help of one.
What I find telling in articles like this, is more what the article DOESN'T say as opposed to what it does. For example, referencing a child molester instead of expanding on THIS incident. Most rational people won't walk into a police station with a gun, much less aim at someone behind bullet proof glass. WHY did this guy do it? No interviews with people who knew the guy or anything. It's only told from the police's side. The guy deserved what he got for what he did, but there has to be more going on here. Even if the guy was just crazy, it'd explain this story better.
You are presuming the guy knew it was bulletproof glass. He probably saw the police offer sitting behind the glass as his first victim and opened fire.
He was ILL, how many times must you hear it before you can grasp that? He wanted 2 die & he couldnt shoot himself! His gun jammed initially & the police gave him a chance 2 DROP HIS WEAPON which he wouldnt do, then he fired again & thats when they shot!
Somebody's programming went off... Self destruct