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Man Shot And Killed In Michigan Police Department Lobby

By Tara Dodrill
Published on: 07:18 PST, Dec 17, 2015

A man was shot in a Michigan police lobby near Detroit earlier today. The man was allegedly wielding a knife and lunged toward a department security guard. The man, who has yet to be identified, reportedly refused to take his belongings out of his pockets and became visibly upset before brandishing the knife, according to Dearborn Heights Mayor Daniel Paletko.

Few details have been released about the man shot and killed in the Michigan police department lobby. However, Dearborn Heights Sergeant Steve Popp confirmed to the media that a shooting occurred and the assailant is deceased, MSN reports. Michigan State Police Lt. Michael Shaw, a member of the agency investigating the fatality, verified breaking news reports that the shooter was a “court-employed” security guard.

No one other than the dead assailant was injured during the incident. The suburb is located about 15 miles west of Detroit.

While Michigan police officials have not yet confirmed that the man inside the Dearborn Heights Justice Center was carrying knife and are only telling the public that the man had a “weapon,” a witness told the Detroit Free Press that a knife was in the man’s hand when he lunged at the guard. The knife-wielding man allegedly attempted to side-step the metal detector when lunging at the security guard.

The witness, 33-year-old Detroit resident Jamal Collins, said he arrived at the Michigan police stations shortly before 9 a.m. Collins told the local newspaper that the man in front of him was just steps away from the metal detector in the entryway and had the outline of a knife in his back pocket.

“The man took the knife out, and the guards ordered him to drop it. The guy started charging to the [security guard], the guard fired a shot and shot him,” Collins said.

The witness also added that the unidentified man looked as if he was going to attempt to stab the guard, who reportedly stepped back and fired approximately five rounds into his attacker.

“He kept shooting until the guy went down, and that was it,” Collins added.

The witness said that he was quickly told to get on the ground as more guards and police officers ran into the Michigan police department lobby. Two nearby schools were placed on lockdown after the shooting at the Dearborn Heights police station. Surveillance cameras in the lobby area reportedly captured the incident. The footage will be reviewed and additional possible witnesses interviewed.

“I understand that there was an incident in the lobby of our local courthouse which required action by a court officer,” a statement by Dearborn Heights Mayor Daniel Paletko read. “The State Police are investigating the incident and we cannot comment further until authorized by the State Police. I also understand that the incident involved only one individual and there is no further danger to the community.”

The Michigan State Police were still processing the fatal shooting scene during the late afternoon hours. The Dearborn Heights Justice Center, located at Michigan Avenue and Beech Daly, houses the police department and other public offices.

As a precaution, the 20th District Courthouse was closed for the rest of the day.

Check back with the Inqusitr for more details about this breaking news story as additional information becomes available.

[Image via Shutterstock.com]

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