(WWJ) Four young men were detained -- one of them a suspect in a homicide -- following an armed standoff Wednesday, on Detroit's east side.
The investigation began Tuesday after a 54-year-old man was murdered — shot multiple times with a "high-powered rifle, according to Detroit Police.
On Wednesday, police received information about a suspect vehicle that may have been involved in the shooting. When officers located the car and attempted a traffic stop, young man holding a rifle, jumped out of the vehicle and fled.
After a foot pursuit, police learned that the suspect had run into a home in the 14000 block of Wilshire, near Chalmer and Outer Drive.
Officers from the Ninth Precinct, Fifth Precinct and Special Response Team, including hostage negotiators, surrounded the house, and eventually made contact by phone with people inside.
"Our officers did a great job containing the suspect," said Detroit Police Commander Darin Szilagy said.
Eventually, he told reporters, four people came out of the house.
All of them were men around 18 and 19 years old whom Szilangy described as "young kids making bad decisions."
No shots were fired, no one was hurt and Szilagyi said he is confident the neighborhood is safe.
Szilagy said it's believed that one of these men, who have been detained, is the homicide suspect.
He said police were interviewing the men and working on getting a warrant to look for evidence inside the house, as the investigation continues.
Szilagy said this was the 34th barricaded gunman situation in Detroit in 2020, compared with a total of 22 in 2019.
He said the COVID-19 crisis and "huge" mental health issues in the city are considered contributing factors.
Szilagy said he's thankful that there were no injuries during Wednesday's operation.
"You know, these officers, the men and women are trained to such a high level. The resolution they always want is someone to go home healthy," he said. "If you gotta go to jail, we want you to go to jail, though. We don't want to hurt anybody. Don't put us in that position."
The commanded added: "We're trained for the worst and we definitely strive for the best."
