DETROIT (AP) — A gunman opened fire inside a Detroit police precinct on Sunday, wounding four officers including a commander before he was shot and killed by police, authorities said.
The gunman walked in through the precinct's
revolving door shortly after 4 p.m. and opened fire indiscriminately at
officers, police said. The officers fired back, killing the gunman.
"Utter chaos and pandemonium took place,"
Police Chief Ralph Godbee said at a news conference. "We have a number of
officers who are shaken up."
Godbee said the gunman has been identified but it
was "too early to characterize" him while the investigation was
ongoing.
The chief said along with the commander, two
sergeants and an officer were wounded, but none appeared to have
life-threatening injuries.
The commander, who was shot in the back, appeared
to be the most seriously wounded. Godbee said he underwent surgery Sunday
evening and his prognosis was "very good." A sergeant and an officer
who each suffered graze gunshot wounds to the head were both talking and alert,
Godbee said.
A female sergeant also was treated and released
after her bullet-resistant vest deflected a bullet to the chest, Godbee said.
Police also did not immediately release the names
of the wounded officers, saying families had not been notified in all cases.
While the department was "very sobered"
by the shootings, Godbee said he was "just very relieved that it appears
all of our officers are going to be OK."
The one-story brick building is located along the
main street in what is a predominantly business district on the city's
northwest side. After the shooting, city and state police squad cars converged
on the scene, and an ambulance was seen taking away at least one victim.
Like other precincts in the city, there are no
metal detectors at the entrance and visitors are permitted to come in and talk
face-to-face with police sitting behind a large, rounded desk.
"We have to take a step back and look at
security at each of our facilities . . . as far as we screen our public when
they come in," Godbee said.
Retired police Sgt. David Malhalab told The
Associated Press that after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the precincts added
hand-held metal detectors at the public entrances. He worked at the 6th
precinct for years and says the desks are open once you walk in the door.
"I was always very comfortable working the
desk because I wanted that one-on-one feeling with the public, but I thought it
was an accident waiting to happen and it did," said Malhalab, who spent 23
years on the force and retired in 2005.
Several officers leaving the precinct Sunday night
declined to comment about the shooting.
"It's very somber mood, the officers are still
somewhat shocked that this happened," said the Rev. Jerome Warfield, chair
of the Detroit Police Board of Commissioners, who visited the precinct with
other members of the board after leaving the hospital where the wounded
officers were being treated.
Associated Press Writer David Runk and photographer
Carlos Osorio contributed to this report.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
Photo
Caption: Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee, center, address the media at Sinai
Grace hospital where Detroit police officers were taken after being shot by a
gunman who walked into their precinct and opened fire. The gunman was killed
after officers returned fire, Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011. Detroit Mayor Dave Bing,
right, stands next to the police chief. (AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Alexandra
Bahou)
