UPDATED: Man Shot and Killed in Court Lobby Identified

Get Patch’s daily newsletter and real-time news alerts.

Updated at 9 p.m.

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, MI – Police have identified the man who was shot and killed Thursday morning when he rushed a security guard at the Dearborn Heights Justice Center with a large knife as Mark Henning, 48, of Dearborn Heights.

A witness, Jamal Collins, 33, of Detroit, told the Detroit Free Press that Henning began “charging to the guard” and raised the knife “like he was going to stab him.”

The guard fired multiple shots until Henning went down, Collins told the newspaper. At least five rounds were fired.

The confrontation happened after Henning tried to bypass a metal detector at the entrance to 20th District Court with what Michigan State Police Lt. Michael Shaw described as a “large knife.” The MSP has not released a possible motive in the case and the investigation is continuing, according to a news release.

Wayne County Commissioner Diane Webb, D-Livonia, whose district includes Dearborn Heights, told the Free Press “the public should have a new appreciation for the dangers law enforcement officers face every day.”

Updated at 3:30 p.m.

A man who tried to carry a “weapon” into 20th District Court in Dearborn Heights was killed in the lobby by a security guard Thursday morning after lunging at a security guard, police said.

The weapon has been described as a knife in media accounts, but Michigan State Police Lt. Michael Shaw declined to say what kind of weapon was pulled, or how the man was killed by the security guard, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press.

“The security guards confronted the individual and the suspect was subsequently killed in the lobby,” Shaw said.

WJBK-TV quoted Mayor Daniel Paletko as saying a security guard fatally shot a man who lunged at him with a knife.

In a statement later, Paletko said:

“I understand that there was an incident in the lobby of our local courthouse which required action by a court officer. The State Police are investigating the incident and we cannot comment further until authorized by the State Police. I also understand that the incident involved only one individual and there is no further danger to the community.”

Shaw said investigators are interviewing everyone who was in the building at the time, and “that’s a pretty lengthy interview process.”

He said it’s unclear why the man was in the building.
Officials say 20th District court will be closed for the remainder of the day.

“Right now there’s no danger to the public,” Shaw said. “We believe that he’s single. We’re vetting him through our information sources to make sure there’s no other incidents he may be tied with in the immediate area.”

No one else was injured in the encounter.

Updated at 10:05 a.m.

The Dearborn Heights City Hall and two area schools remain on lockdown after a man was shot and killed Thursday morning at the City Hall, which also houses the police department and 20th District Court.

Mayor Daniel Paletko told WJBK-TV that a security guard shot and killed a man who lunged at him with a knife in the lobby of the police station.

The situation became tense after the man refused to empty his pockets of his belongings before going through security, got upset and pulled a knife on the security guard.

The man was reportedly there to appear in court on a drug case, WXYZ-TV reports.

Patch’s Earlier Report

The Dearborn Heights City Hall building at 25637 Michigan Ave. is on lockdown, according to media reports.

Details aren’t clear, but shots may have been fired, WWJ reports.

The city hall building also houses court services. Emergency crews are on the scene.

Dearborn Heights resident Sherry Matthews, who arrived at the building just after 9 a.m. Thursday, told WWJ there were two ambulances and about a dozen unmarked police cars on the scene. Officers are wearing bullet-proof vests and had their guns drawn.

Police declined comment.