Suspected shooter in Dearborn hotel standoff in custody; clerk dead, police say

Dearborn — Police took a suspected gunman into custody Thursday night after a standoff at a hotel in which the suspect allegedly opened fire after a dispute with staff, killing one man, a hotel clerk.

The arrest of the 38-year-old suspect came after a nearly seven-hour standoff at the Hampton Inn hotel in downtown Dearborn.

"There was some type of dispute with the hotel staff ... it revolved around money," said Dearborn police Chief Issa Shahin about the incident at the hotel on Michigan Avenue. Shahin noted the victim was a 55-year-old hotel clerk from Riverview who was "just trying to do his job."

"We spent the last seven hours negotiating with an individual armed with a rifle ... at many times threatened officers, and it was quite tenuous," the chief told reporters. "But fortunately, we were able to resolve that peacefully."

Shahin said the suspect, who was not named Thursday, had a history of mental illness and substance abuse.

During his nearly nine-month tenure as police chief, Shahin noted that "far too often, we're running into situations with people that suffer from mental illness that are armed with firearms and the outcomes are often tragedy. There’s a broader issue here."

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud echoed those sentiments Thursday night.

"It’s about time that we had solutions," he said.

The incident came just days after another shooting in which a mentally ill man was killed by Detroit police, prompting the city's police chief to highlight the increase in violent incidents involving people with mental health issues and what he called the failures of the health system.

Porter Burks, 22, was fatally shot Sunday on Littlefield Street on Detroit's west side after refusing officers' demands that he drop a knife. Police said Burks had a long history of mental illness and run-ins with authorities. A crisis intervention officer was on the scene and officers pleaded with Burks to drop the weapon.

"We've done our investigation into Mr. Burks' past, and we found ... unfortunately, a system that has failed Mr. Burks on several different occasions over the last several years," said Christopher Graveline, Detroit police director of professional standards and constitutional policing.

In Dearborn on Thursday, the police chief had initially called the hotel standoff "a waiting game." Officers negotiated with the suspected shooter, who had barricaded himself on the third floor of the hotel, for hours.

Crisis negotiators were "tireless," Shahin told reporters. "They were on the phone, doing their best to talk to him."

Cpl. Dan Bartok, the public information officer with the Dearborn Police Department, said police responded to a call of shots fired at 1:09 p.m. Thursday. The shooting took place from the third floor, Bartok said. Police described the weapon used in the shooting as a long gun.

Police did not release details on the suspect or how long he had been at the hotel.

Shahin told reporters the suspect holed up in a room after officers started to approach him. Shortly before the suspect was in custody, authorities had punched out a third-floor window to rescue a guest.

During the standoff, Michigan State Police and Dearborn police officials warned people to stay away from the shooting scene.

"This is a dangerous situation, this person is still liable to shoot at people walking in this area," MSP Lt. Michael Shaw said. "So I cannot say it enough. This is not a safe area, do not come down to downtown Dearborn."

Warnings didn't hold off the many people who turned out to see the activity. Some were drawn from workplaces or lured from stores to the scene on the street and the commotion. Soon, what started as a lively gathering of folks gawking at the mass of police along Michigan turned somber as more police vehicles and staff gathered as the standoff wore on, sirens sounding, police lights flashing.

Pedestrians at the busy strip mall across the street from the Hampton Inn were directed away from Michigan Avenue as they sought to see what was happening less than a half-block away. Each time, police yelled, "Get out of the line of fire!"

'I'm scared for my community'

Sarah Azaz, 28, was at work at Cosmo salon on Michigan Avenue, interviewing a candidate for a job when she saw 30 police cars racing by. She ran out of the building to make sure her mom, Sue Azaz, at Biggby across the street was OK. Sue Azaz owns the coffee shop in the strip mall.

“I’m not scared, but I’m scared for my community,” Sue Azaz said.

Hian Beydoun, 20, lives near the Hampton Inn. “It's kind of like terrifying to think something so bad could happen so close to home, especially when you’re supposed to feel safe," Beydoun said.

Kamal Mustafa, 55, lives a few blocks from the scene but was in east Dearborn when he heard police were responding to a shooting. His son attends Dearborn High School, about a mile away from the Hampton Inn.

“The first thing that came to my mind is somebody shooting in the school. So I just flew here,” he said.

Mustafa said students were sent home for the day.

Bobak Dehkordi, manager at Athletico’s on Michigan, said he closed the offices after clients canceled when the shooting shut down. He was giving SWAT team members and other authorities access to his restrooms during the standoff.

Dehkordi said he’s not seen anything this unusual in Dearborn.

“Not in this area. Not like this,” he said.

He said he served in the Iranian army: “So I’m used to combat.”