WARREN (WWJ) - One man is dead and another is hospitalized after Warren police said a family dispute between a father and son escalated into violence on Friday morning.
Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer told WWJ's Jon Hewett that the incident unfolded around 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 24, at a home near Schoenherr Road near 12 Mile Road.
“The son of the victim had an argument with the father, shot the father in the face," Dwyer said. "The father was able to struggle with him after the shot was fired, according to the initial reports.”
The department had sent out an emergency public alert earlier in the day on social media, telling the public to avoid the area due to an "active police situation." Schoenherr Rd. was closed from 12 Mile Rd. to Common Rd. for about 90 minutes, while police dealt with the situation.
At around 11:15 a.m., Dwyer said officers were able to enter the home and found the 24-year-old suspect dead.
The father, age 53, was taken to the hospital and was last said to be in critical condition.
The commissioner told Hewett that police are unsure how the suspect was killed; whether he took is own life or was fatally injured during the struggle with his father.
In an update later Friday, police said it is believed that mental illness was an apparent factor in this incident, and that investigators have learned the suspect had documented struggling with his mental health.
"This incident is yet another tragic case of a person with a mental illness accessing a firearm and using it on a loved one during an altercation," Dwyer said. "Officers are encountering more and more persons with mental illnesses who are in need of help.
"Sadly, there are not enough treatment centers for the community to utilize as a resource for helping the mental ill. Too often law enforcement and the community have limited options and face long delays with getting people the proper mental health services they need before an act of violence occurs.
"This incident underscores the fact that mental illness is a serious issues which affects all of us."
The investigation is ongoing.
No names have been released.
More on today's top stories: