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Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Gunfight erupts at drug sting
One suspect killed during shoot-out at Westland strip mall
Tanveer Ali / The Detroit News
WESTLAND -- A drug deal sting turned into a gunfight between police and five men in a strip mall Tuesday afternoon leaving one suspect dead, another wounded and two more on the run.
Westland Police Chief James Ridener said around 3:30 p.m. undercover narcotics officers from Romulus Police Department were at Bob's of Canton-Westland at Merriman and Warren while an informant was posing as a seller outside the store in a silver Mercedes, ready to unload three kilos of cocaine. The plan was to arrest the suspects once they agreed on the buy, Ridener said.
But the suspects weren't there to pay for the drugs, according to police.
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"There was no intention of making a deal, they were going to rob them," Ridener said.
The suspects fired shots. Nine Romulus officers emptied two undercover vans and shot back. One suspect was shot dead in front of the store. Another ran inside, believed to have been shot in the stomach. He was arrested and was transported to an area hospital, police said. A third was arrested, but was not injured. Two more escaped. Police believe they may have driven to Detroit.
It is unclear whether any shots were fired inside the store, but police believe one of the suspects did run inside with a gun. No officers were injured.
Shopper James Crews knew something was up when he saw a black vehicle pull up. He was loading groceries into his girlfriend's Chevrolet Malibu and felt people in the car -- there were at least three -- were staring at him.
Crews said a man left the car with a handgun and saw him fire at the Mercedes.
And then the shooting began.
Crews estimated "50 to 100 shots" were fired. "I hit the deck," he said. "I feel like they were shooting over the car."
Store employee Joni Young was about to take a break when the shooting occurred.
"It was a regular day and all the sudden we heard boom, boom, boom and saw a guy with a gun in the meat department," she said.
Young said she ran back, grabbed someone else from the deli and hid in a back room behind some filing cabinets.
Other witnesses told The Detroit News they weren't allowed to leave the store for at least a half hour after the incident occurred. When they did exit, it was through a back door.
Marcia Runchey, 72, of Garden City was checking out with her daughter when the shots rang out. With her groceries still on the check-out counter she immediately grabbed her daughter and hid behind the deli counter with several other people.
Charles Kirby, Romulus director of public safety, said the suspects decided on the site.
"The police never pick the location. Bad guys want to do this in a public location," Kirby said.
Detroit News Staff Writer Steve Pardo contributed to this report. You can reach Tanveer Ali at (734) 462-2094 or tali@detnews.com.
