Charges expected today for suspect involved in shooting death of Detroit fire lieutenant

First court appearance for suspect shooter in DFD Lt.'s death

The suspect shooter allegedly involved in the death of a Detroit firefighter is expected to be brought up on charges Wednesday during their first court appearance.

TROY, Mich. - The suspect behind the shooting of a Detroit Fire Department lieutenant is expected to be arraigned today.

It'll be the first court appearance for the man since Lt. Francis Dombrowski was shot at a Troy gas station Monday night.

An initial case of road rage that turned violent, the case took on new meaning when the victim was identified - with those that knew Dombrowski grieving over the loss of an active member of the department.

It happened in the parking lot of a Shell gas station when police say a traffic altercation escalated into a verbal conflict before a suspect shooter open-fired at Dombrowski, killing him. It happened at 9:45 p.m.

The suspect who fled the scene later turned himself in early Tuesday.

"This man was murdered and now a lot of broken hearts are left in the aftermath," said Detroit Fire Department Commissioner Eric Jones.

Dombrowski, 55, was a 29-year veteran of the force and worked at Engine 53 on the city's west side. He had been awarded a Medal of Valor in 2018 for heroism when he crawled through smoke and flames to rescue an unconscious man from a house fire.

Lt. Francis "Frank" Dombrowksi

"It has to stop. I guess nobody fights with their fists anymore -- everybody fights with a gun," said Dombrowski's friend and co-worker, senior Lt. Jimmy Nadolski. "Frank wouldn't fight you with his fists or a gun. He'd fight you with his words, and nine times out of ten he was going to beat your butt."

Dombrowski leaves behind his siblings and family.

The suspect is expected to be formally charged during his arraignment Wednesday.