Hazel Park man injured during shootout with son

HAZEL PARK — A young man was hospitalized after his father pulled a gun and shot him during a heated argument in Hazel Park.

Charles Lamar Thomas, 51, of Hazel Park, was arraigned before Judge Brian Hartwell in Hazel Park’s 43rd District Court on March 27.

He is charged with one count of assault with intent to murder, punishable by up to life in prison or any number of years; three counts of felony firearm, a five-year felony; and one count of discharging a firearm in a building causing injury, a 15-year felony.

He is also charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and one count of carrying a concealed weapon, both five-year felonies.

His bond was set at $500,000 cash or surety. According to records with the court, the attorney on record for Thomas is Colin Thomas McLaughlin. At press time, McLaughlin had not answered a request for comment.

The incident occurred March 24, shortly before 5:30 p.m. in the area of East Harry and Highland avenues. Officers responded to a report of gunshots fired in the area. Upon investigating, they were led to a home on East Harry Avenue.

Detectives reportedly learned that earlier in the day, the 22-year-old victim had arrived with a moving truck to pick up some belongings he had stored at his mother’s home. The victim currently lives in Detroit.

He found his mother and father — the suspect, Thomas — in the middle of an argument. Investigators say that when the son told his father to stop offending his mother, Thomas pulled a handgun and pointed it at his son.

The mother allegedly tried to push her son out of the bedroom, but the son resisted and made an attempt to push the gun away from him. That’s when he was reportedly shot in the shoulder and then shot again in the face.

Despite being wounded, the son allegedly withdrew to another room and obtained a gun that he then used to fire back at his father. Thomas sustained injuries to his finger, wrist and chest.

The suspect and victim then fled the home, driving separately to area hospitals.

“As far as his medical situation, the suspect was released from the hospital and cleared for custody,” said Hazel Park Police Chief William Hamel. “The victim was also treated at a hospital, but my understanding at this point is my detectives haven’t had any additional contact from him.”

Hamel said that tensions had been simmering prior to the incident.

“During our interview with the victim, he stated the day before that (the suspect) was picking on the victim’s mother,” Hamel said. “And then that day, he and (the suspect) discussed that incident, and it escalated from there, with (the suspect) pulling out the pistol and threatening to shoot his son. (The suspect) shot first.”

The chief lamented how the situation turned violent.

“Here we have two people with grievances, and one carries a gun inside a home and feels it necessary to pull it out and threaten another person, and then that person has to retreat and attain a gun of their own, shooting it out in a dwelling occupied with other children and adults,” Hamel said. “Really, we’re just fortunate that nobody was killed during the incident.”