Multiple murder suspect Kenyel Brown shoots himself after police chase

Oak Park — A man who was being hunted by police for an alleged crime spree that included six homicides and two carjackings came out of hiding Monday to slip into an adult bookstore, which led to a series of events that ended with the suspect shooting himself in the head as officers closed in on him.

Police Chief James Craig said he was relieved that Brown, who was listed in critical condition late Monday, ended up in custody. 

"The good news is no one else got hurt," said the chief, who had urged Brown to turn himself in, saying: "We know who you are. Do yourself a favor." 

Brown's arrest came after Detroit police worked "around the clock" and with help from multiple agencies, Craig said at a press conference. "They knew this man was extremely dangerous in our community."

The timeline of Brown's alleged actions spanned at least three cities and nearly two months in Wayne County:

►Brown was linked to a fatal shooting in River Rouge on Jan. 8, Craig said Monday.

►The U.S. Marshals Service Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Team police said that Brown was wanted in connection with a triple shooting — a double homicide and a reported non-fatal shooting — reported in late January. In that incident, which River Rouge police said was Jan. 30, the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office identified the deceased as Dorian Patterson, 48, and Kimberly Green, 52. Both died of multiple gunshot wounds.

►Brown's spree continued with the fatal shooting of a man in Highland Park on Feb. 18, Craig said.

►Three days later, police and U.S. Marshals Service said Brown was wanted for questioning in connection to another deadly shooting late Thursday on Detroit's east side. Police said a 41-year-old man was found with a fatal gunshot inside the Next Level Custom Tees shop on the 16000 block of East Eight Mile.

►The next day, on Friday, Craig said, Brown is believed to have been involved in "two separate carjacking incidents within 19 minutes of one another" in Detroit.

►On Saturday, Craig said Brown fatally shot another man "over a drug argument." The body of a 36-year-old male victim was found about 1:45 a.m. in a vacant house in the 20 block of Minnesota in Detroit, according to a police report.

"What we're talking about," Craig said at the press conference announcing Brown's arrest, "is six fatal shootings, one non-fatal shooting and two carjackings."

News reports on Brown, for whom a U.S. Marshals reward had jumped to $10,000, apparently caught the eye of a worker Monday at an adult bookstore on Eight Mile in Detroit.

Brown, 40, had been there recently, the clerk told authorities.

“He was using drugs in there last week and the clerk kicked him out,” Craig told The Detroit News.

On Monday afternoon, "he was in there, and they wanted him to leave," he said.

The worker called 911, but by the time officers arrived, Brown had already left, the chief said.

"We started a grid search," Craig told reporters. "Within an hour-and-a-half of that (tip), the suspect was seen jumping fences to evade the officers."

With police closing in on Brown, he shot himself in the head in the backyard of a house on the 20000 block of Ridgedale in Oak Park, Craig said Monday afternoon.

"And then there was a single gunshot, and that suspect fired a single gunshot to his head. And that’s where we ended up detaining him, calling in for EMS," the chief said. "He was transported to a local hospital, where he ... appears to be in critical condition."

The alleged crime spree was not Brown's first brush with the law. In 2000, Brown was charged with second-degree murder and four vehicle-related felonies in a River Rouge homicide.

He pleaded guilty to fleeing and eluding a police officer in January 2001, and the next month, the other three charges, including second-degree murder, were dismissed, according to court records.

Craig added "we believe there were some folks that were aiding him, concealing him. We’re going to pursue that as well."

That ended up happening at the press conference, where police recognized Brown's girlfriend. Craig said she had tried to aid Brown, so, with cameras rolling, police searched the woman, placed her in handcuffs, and took her away, Craig said.

More:U.S. Marshals offer $5K reward for River Rouge homicide suspect

Detroit News Staff Writer Mark Hicks contributed to this report.