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Sources: Man picked up kids from school to say goodbye after killing ex-girlfriend at Southfield hotel

By and FOX 2 Staff
Updated  May 8, 2023 5:20pm EDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 2 Detroit

Southfield murder suspect killed while reaching for gun during traffic stop

A man wanted for murdering his ex and shooting her new boyfriend was killed by Southfield Police when they said he reached for an assault rifle while they tried to take him into custody.

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - The man believed to have killed his ex-girlfriend and hurt her new boyfriend after tracking her down at a Southfield hotel was able to stop and pick up his kids from school and say good bye before police caught up with him and killed him as he was reaching for his assault rifle.

The tragedy started around 9:30 a.m. on Monday when a 41-year-old woman was killed at the Marriott in Southfield. Her 41-year-old boyfriend was also shot and critically hurt. The suspect, police said, was the woman's ex who tracked them down and waited for them.

"It appears he was waiting in the parking lot until they exited the hotel at which time he used an assault rifle and did shoot both of them," Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren said.

After the shooting, police sources said the 49-year-old suspect went to his Warren home to get into his black Chevrolet Camaro. Those same sources said he then picked the couple’s kids from school, gave them money and said his goodbyes. 

Then he dropped them off at a friend's house near The Lodge and 7 Mile – which is where Southfield Police tracked him down and tried to pull him over. That's when police said he reached for the gun used in the shooting.

"He lowered the top of the Camaro just prior to making the traffic stop, at which time our officers engaged him and he reached for the assault rifle. Officers used deadly force, fatally wounding him," Barren said.

Three Southfield Police Officers were involved in the shooting. 

The motive in Southfield appears to be a jealous ex-partner.

"Domestic violence continues to be on the rise and plague our communities and this is another sad example of that," Barren said.

We're told the couple’s children are safe and with family members.

"At least there is some measure of closure to these families but again a very tragic situation and we are truly sorry this happened," Barren said.

Police shoot and kill a man wanted for murdering his ex on Monday in Southfield.