Van Dyke parking lot shooting suspect found dead

STERLING HEIGHTS — Sterling Heights police said a search for a culprit who shot two people in a parking lot March 17 ended with the nearby discovery of the suspect’s body.

Police said they learned that a suspect fired a weapon at around 1:15 p.m. that day in a parking lot at 35500 Van Dyke Ave., near 15 Mile Road, near where a Ruby Tuesday used to be located. Upon arrival, police reportedly found and assisted two female victims, who were then taken to the hospitalized.

Afterward, police announced that they were looking for a suspect who fled on foot. In a press release, they described the suspect as a Black male, approximately 22 years old, 5 feet, 10 inches, with facial hair. He was reportedly wearing a beige jacket, sweats, a beanie and black shoes that resembled Crocs.

Police said they believed that the suspect and the victims knew one another and that the attack didn’t seem to happen by chance.

Later that afternoon, police said they found the suspect dead in an undisclosed area near the shooting site with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

According to police Sgt. Aaron Susalla on March 28, police have released no further information on the incident, including the victims’ condition or what led to the shooting.     

Anyone who has more information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Sterling Heights Police Department’s Investigations Bureau by calling (586) 446-2825.