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DEARBORN HEIGHTS - Karen Henning is mourning the death of her brother-in-law - Mark Henning. She says he was a fun-loving man who - in his final days - became a lost soul.
“I freaked out totally screamed and cried for hours because he was a wonderful person. He was only 48 he didn't live his whole life. He had three children.”
Her husband was the one who was with Mark when he entered the Dearborn Heights public safety complex Thursday morning.
Police say Mark refused to go through the metal detectors and began wielding a steak knife.
Witnesses say the security guard, a retired police officer fired at the 48-year-old just as he lunged toward him with his weapon in hand and his brother by his side.
“Very bad he freaked out because he was there he watched his brother die right in front of him,” said Karen.
The family is struggling with what happened as they were trying to get Mark the help he needed.
Karen says Mark was scheduled to go to rehab on Friday. That's why his brother drove him to court Thursday for a hearing.
“He was a wonderful person he was on medication. He went off his medication that's why. He wasn't trying to kill anybody.”
The public safety complex instantly became a crime scene. Dearborn Heights cleared and secured the building. Michigan State Police are now handling the investigation.
Detectives spent the day interviewing witnesses and going over the video evidence that we're told captures most of the chaos.
An autopsy for the 48-year-old suspect, which will reveal if there were drugs in his system at the time is scheduled for Friday.
“He had problems just like everyone else,” said Karen. “He didn't handle them as well. His parents are both deceased and got divorced he loved his kids. He was a lost soul in the end he had problems he was on medicine and got off it.
There were lots of witnesses to the incident, but no one else was injured. The public safety complex reopened later in the day.