Michigan Shootings Leave 2 Dead; Suspect In Custody

A 45-year-old armed with an AK-47 assault rifle and multiple magazines stored in his truck killed two people, one in Taylor and another in Pontiac, before being taken into custody in Waterford after being involved in a shootout with police, according to authorities and reports.

The first shooting happened in Taylor in Wayne County around 10:30 a.m. when the gunman entered his former workplace, The Detroit News reported. Police responding to the scene found one man dead at the business and the suspect allegedly escaped in a stolen white semi-tractor trailer cab.

Authorities in Oakland County then received a report of shots fired at 11:34 a.m., Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said at a press conference. Bouchard said dispatchers received several calls within a short amount of time and one person was killed at the scene of the shooting on West Sheffield Avenue in Pontiac.

The victim was identified by the sheriff's office as 58-year-old Eriverto Perez.

The suspect, identified only as a 48-year-old Sterling Heights resident, apparently left the scene. The Detroit News reported he then drove to Waterford where he asked for the whereabouts of a worker at a business off Dixie Highway. When he could not find the person, he left and the business went into lockdown, the News reported.

Authorities say he then stopped on the road and engaged Waterford officers in gunfire before getting back in the truck. He was later involved in an accident at an intersection in Waterford and after exiting the vehicle, shots were fired with responding officers, Bouchard said. The man was then taken into custody around noon.

The suspect was out on bond for assault with a dangerous weapon, Bouchard said. He has not yet been charged in Oakland County.

Bouchard said the suspect appeared to know exactly where he was going and the situation could have been tremendously worse given what the suspect was prepared with and given his state of mind.

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