DEARBORN (WWJ) - A deadly shooting and hours-long barricaded gunman situation at the Hampton Inn in Dearborn on Thursday did not start over a bill issue, the hotel chain said Friday night.
The statement, released late last night and provided by the Detroit Free Press, goes against preliminary information provided by police on the day on the incident.
"We can confirm that we lost one of our associates yesterday in a tragic incident with an individual described by the local authorities as suffering from mental health issues," the statement reads. "Contrary to what was previously reported, we further can confirm with absolute certainty that this issue was not related to any invoice dispute or refund."
The deadly shooting was reported on the city's western part of downtown just before 1 p.m. on Thursday at the hotel off of Michigan Ave.
Police said a 55-year-old hotel clerk from Riverview was shot with a long gun by a 38-year-old man who then barricaded himself inside a hotel room for over seven hours.
Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin said the victim who "was just trying to do his job" was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The statement provided by the hotel chain did not offer an explanation as to what led to the shooting, but only clarified is was not due to any kind of billing dispute, which police originally reported in statements to the media during the active investigation.
The scene remained active for hours as hotel guests and staff were safely evacuated.
The suspect peacefully surrendered to police around 8:30 p.m. He remains in police custody as of Saturday and is expected to be arraigned on possible charges on Sunday.
On Friday, a city spokesman told the Detroit Free Press that the Dearborn Police Department was considering a number of charges against the suspect, including homicide.
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According to the spokesman, family members told police the suspect is a prior servicemember with a history of untreated post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The city only confirmed the suspect's veteran status -- additional details such as the length of his time in service and which branch he was in was not released.
Both Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and Police Chief Issa Shahin released statements during the situation on Thursday, calling for increased mental health support across the country, the Detroit Free Press reported.
The name of both the victim and the suspect has not been released. A spokesperson confirmed with the Detroit Free Press yesterday morning that no request for charges has been provided to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
The hotel chain offered their deepest sympathies to all touched by Thursday's events, but mourned the loss of their employee.
"Our heartfelt condolences go out to everyone involved, particularly the family of our beloved associate, whom we very much consider one of our own," the statement concludes.