DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit police are investigating after an eviction ended in a man being shot and killed.
It happened Friday at an apartment building on Manderson near McNichols and Woodward on the city's east side.
Police from the 12th Precinct say they were called to the building to assist in the eviction process that quickly went off the rails.
"About 11:15 this morning, I just saw a cop car flying down from Manderson. They came from Whitmore and they were circling from every direction and I just thought maybe they were chasing somebody. I didn’t think it was this," said Cassandra Reid who lives in the neighborhood. "It’s sad. I feel sad for everybody in the situation. I feel bad for the deceased. I feel sad for the cops."
Police say when they arrived to the building to assist the bailiff, they proceeded to the unit where the bailiff attempted to make contact with the tenant. After a few minutes with no response, investigators say the bailiff breached entry.
When officers and the bailiff made it into the apartment, they encountered a middle-aged man in a bedroom sitting on a bed with a weapon. Police did not confirm what kind of weapon the individual had in their possession.
Detroit police called the mental health unit in as police continued negotiating with the man for around 10 minutes.
"As the supervisor and the mental health unit were en route, the individual became more aggressive with the officers and we had to deploy our tasers to try to control the situation. That deployment did not take effect. The individual became more aggressive and charged at the bailiff and the bailiff discharged his weapon striking the individual," said Captain Philip Rodriguez with the 12th Precinct.
Rodriguez says the tenant died as a result of that shot.
A building manager who did not want to go on camera, says he has had issues with the same tenant numerous times and believes his mental health was in decline.
"Mental illness is a serious problem in the Black community. Nobody wants to address. It’s one of the main reasons the gun violence has escalated in our community," the building manager said to 7 News Detroit cameras.
Detroit police officers who were there as the shot was fired were interviewed by the homicide department shortly after the incident.
Neighbors say they wish things could have gone differently.
"It’s sad for everybody and it's just like everybody should take away from this have some empathy and compassion for people because you don’t know what anybody is going through, anybody’s mental state, and everybody has a breaking point and it could end up like this," said Reid.
It’s unclear what will happen to the bailiff who fired the gunshot and if he will face any charges. Police say the shooter has acquired legal representation. The investigation is ongoing.
