A person assisting a court officer from Detroit’s 36th District Court was shot during an eviction on the city’s west side Wednesday afternoon in what police described as a “barricaded gunman situation.”
The individual, who was shot twice, is in stable condition at a local hospital, according to a statement Detroit Police Department released Wednesday evening. The suspect is in custody.
Just before 1 p.m., Detroit police responded to a call in the 9200 block of Stahelin Avenue regarding an eviction being conducted by 36th District Court officers. Police said that a 36th District Court employee was shot during the eviction. 36th District Chief Judge William C. McConico released a statement on the shooting Wednesday, and then clarified on Friday that the person who was shot was employed by a court officer. Detroit police were not struck and did not return fire, according to the police statement.
In a statement Wednesday, McConico called the shooting a “tragic and unacceptable act of violence.”
He said eviction cases involve a legal process and tenants are given an “appropriate time to get their affairs in order” when there’s an eviction order.
“Officers are called to the scene of an eviction as a last resort,” McConico said.
Detroit’s 36th District Court approves a list of court officers whom landlords may hire to conduct an eviction. Last summer, a bailiff shot and killed a man during an eviction. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office did not charge the court officer, saying the bailiff acted in self-defense — a decision that received sharp push back from tenant advocates.
This story was updated with additional information.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with new information that clarifies statements from the Detroit Police Department and the 36th District Court.
Contact Nushrat Rahman: nrahman@freepress.com. Follow her on X: @NushratR.