Gun jams as man points it at Dearborn officers, killed at police department

The man who pointed a gun at an officer inside the Dearborn Police Department tried to shoot at least one round but the gun jammed in some way before he was shot and killed Sunday, authorities said.

Ali Naji, 33, has been identified as the man who entered the lobby of the police station around 3:30 Sunday afternoon, pulled out a loaded 9MM and pointed it at an officer behind the desk, police said.

The gun, however, malfunctioned or jammed and a Dearborn Police Officer shot and killed him.

Michigan State Police is handling the investigation and Lt. Mike Shaw said the officer had no choice but to take defensive action.

"Ambush attacks on police officers are going through the roof right now this individual pulled a gun on a police officer and pulled the trigger," Shaw said. "What this police officer saw and what we have seen since the evidence was an individual that came in to hurt somebody."

According to police, Naji stole the gun earlier in the day on Sunday and, an hour later, carried it into the lobby. The officer was behind bullet resistant glass and can be seen on video sliding it open.

"It was a close call if he would have fired I don’t know and that will be something that we look at as far as the partition goes how exactly bulletproof that is, but his intent was to hurt someone," Shaw said.

Naji's former attorney, Nabih Ayad, said the man had suffered from severe mental illness and that's what drove his actions.

"I know he had loving parents who tried so hard with this individual," Ayad said. "It’s a domino effect - one thing is after another if you don’t address the issue and the issue is deep mental health."

The officer is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. 

Ali Naji, 33, was killed when police said he pointed a gun at officers inside the Dearborn Police Department.