Dearborn Police Release Video Of Officer Fatally Shooting Gunman

DEARBORN, MI — Police released footage Thursday that showed an officer fatally shooting a 33-year-old man who police said tried firing shots at an officer inside the Dearborn Police station.

The video showed a man drawing a gun and attempting to fire shots at an officer who was behind lobby glass on Dec. 18 at 3:30 p.m.

When the gunman's handgun failed to fire, the officer slid the glass out of the way and fired multiple shots, hitting the gunman, police said.

The gunman was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died, police said.

Wayne County prosecutors said they will not seek criminal charges in connection to the shooting against the officer who fatally shot the gunman inside the police station.

Dearborn Police said they released the video in an effort to be transparent after the incident was reviewed by police.

View the surveillance footage in the video below. WARNING: The video may be disturbing to some viewers.

In addition to the video, police also released more details on the shooting.

Police said hours before the shooting, the 33-year-old man went to his former workplace on Warren Avenue and took a 9 mm handgun from behind the register at 3:30 p.m.

He put the handgun in his pants and left the building, police said.

He then parked a black SUV directly in front of the police station's lobby, where there is a no-parking zone, police said.

Moments later, the man walked into the police station's lobby and the officer behind the front desk acknowledged him and asked how he was doing, police said.

The man then pulled out the handgun and aimed it at the officer, repeatedly pulling the trigger, police said.

The officer then yelled "gun" numerous times, police said.

When the gun malfunctioned, the gunman tried fixing the problem by removing the magazine, then putting it back in the gun and attempting to rack the gun’s slide, police said.

As the gunman tried fixing the handgun, the officer fired 17 shots within five seconds at the gunman, police said.

The gunman dropped to the ground without firing any shots, police said. Police do not know how many shots struck the gunman.

Although the video doesn't show any civilians inside the police station at the time of the shooting, Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin said the building was busy that day with people and families stopping in, especially due to a toy drive taking place in the lobby during the holiday season.

Shahin said the police officer who shot the armed man was acting within his training and guidelines for handling lethal threats.

"The officer has a duty to protect the public, and his fellow officers, when faced with an active gunman," Shahin said.

Police did not determine a motive behind the gunman's attempted shooting. Shahin said the man had two prior contacts with Dearborn police, but that neither was criminal.

"My sincere condolences go out to the family, who will forever be altered by the day’s events," Shahin said. "This was a tragedy for our entire community, including one of our officers, who faced down an imminent threat to his life."