Hazel Park police released a man in custody in a fatal shooting at an after-prom party at a short-term rental, saying the man who died allegedly pointed a gun and stole a watch from someone at the party, and the suspect fired his gun in self-defense.
Police said Monday, June 1, that the suspect was released pending further investigation after speaking with him, reviewing witness accounts and evidence at the scene and consulting with the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.
A 20-year-old Detroit man was pronounced dead at a local hospital, and a 19-year-old Pontiac woman was being treated after the May 29 shooting at 23401 Powell, police said. A 21-year-old man had been in custody. Police did not name anyone.
What police say happened
Police said interviews of those at the party and evidence suggested an armed robbery occurred in the house, and the man who died allegedly pointed a gun and stole a watch from someone at the party.
Why the suspect was released
The man who was in custody has a valid permit to carry a firearm and was present in the home, police said. They said he saw the robbery when he claimed to have fired his gun in self-defense. A witness to the altercation provided supporting information to the robbery and self-defense claim, police said.
Police said they received multiple 911 calls of a shooting in the area of Powell and Orchard. Officers found a crowd of people fleeing a home on Powell. They found the wounded man outside the home and the woman several houses south of the home.Preliminary information was that the house may have been hosting an after-prom party when a dispute occurred, and people exchanged gunfire inside and outside of the home.
Police said the after-prom party did not involve students from the Hazel Park School District.
Short-term rental concerns after shooting
Police Chief William Hamel told the Free Press in an email on May 29 that the property was registered with the city as a short-term rental and had been licensed for at least two years with no police runs in those years.
The property owner told the Free Press on May 29 that they were deeply shocked and saddened by the incident and that they maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy for illegal activity and disruptive events at their properties. The reservation was booked through a major third-party platform, the owner said, adding that they were cooperating with police.
In April, there were shootings at parties at short-term rentals in Harper Woods, where a 19-year-old Detroit man was killed, and in Birmingham, where property was damaged.
Conversations about moratoriums, regulations or zoning changes for short-term rentals have or are being held in communities across Michigan.
Hazel Park City Manager Ed Klobucher told the Free Press on May 29 that he issued the short-term rental license to be revoked on the property where the shooting occurred and imposed a moratorium on new short-term rental licenses in the city. He said the city council meets on June 9 and may extend that moratorium for six months.
He said officials will look at the city’s ordinances − which have a tight short-term rental ordinance − to possibly become more restrictive; and he spoke with a state legislator about the issue. He said there was a high likelihood that the house where the shooting occurred violated occupancy rules, and the city will issue citations to the owner if it determines there were ordinance violations.
Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Hazel Park after-prom party shooting suspect released after self-defense claim
Reporting by Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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