SALINE, Mich. (WXYZ) — A woman has died and a man is in stable condition after a domestic shooting Thursday, according to Saline police. Investigators said a man shot his ex-girlfriend and her male acquaintance.
It happened around 11:35 a.m. on Woodland Drive near N. Maple Road in a United Auto Workers hall parking lot. The police chief said employees at an assisted living facility across the road parked in the lot for the day.
Chief Marlene Radzik said the 58-year-old suspect was waiting for his ex-girlfriend to leave the facility. The woman and her male acquaintance took a smoke break. That’s when the woman’s ex-boyfriend opened fire.
“The female is critical, and the male is in stable condition," Radzik said earlier in the day.
Thursday night, police provided an update saying the woman died. Police identified her as Amber Jo Thomas, 40. They're now investigating the case as a homicide.
The chief said both the suspect and Thomas are from Lenawee County. She had a personal protection order against him. The male victim is a 55-year-old man from Saline.
Investigators said the suspect fled the scene and ended up on Ann Arbor Street near Willis Road, which is about 3.7 miles away.
“At that point in time, the suspect went head-on with another vehicle causing a crash,” Radzik explained.
Saline resident Joseph Monteleone told 7 Action News, "I heard a big bang. I saw the car rolling from the street down here. It hit that tree. I just saw it coming at me."
“I saw the car crash there. It was smoking," Monteleone continued. “The woman who got hit in this car, the yellow four-door jeep looking thing. She was knocked out for about 15 minutes because the horn was blaring for that long.”
“I saw the active shooter’s car who was down there and had a head-on collision," he gestured.
The chief said it was a good Samaritan who helped stop the suspect's vehicle.
“He actually saw the suspect trying to flee from the head-on crash, and he got in front of him and actually stopped him from leaving, at which time the Washtenaw County sheriff's deputy was there,” Radzik explained.
“The deputy got out of the car, ordered him out of his crash, he didn’t comply with commands, tazed him (and) weapon's been recovered. He is in custody.”
The chief said the innocent driver suffered non-life threatening injuries and is alert and conscious.
Area schools were placed on temporary lockdown.
