Sheriff’s Office arrests suspect for murder in warehouse shooting

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — A 28-year-old Southfield man was arraigned in 41B District Court Oct. 17 for the murder of his former coworker at a Harrison Township business.

Karl Johnson is accused of committing first-degree murder in the Oct. 11 killing of Roger Palmer, a 54-year-old Detroit man who was working at Immanuel & Associates, located north of North River Road and just east of Interstate 94 in Harrison Township. Palmer was found at his desk with a gunshot wound to his head and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office.

Johnson was arrested Oct. 15. Palmer and Johnson were coworkers, according to a press release from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office. The Prosecutor’s Office said that Johnson entered the warehouse and that Palmer later entered the warehouse.

“This was a calculated and cold-blooded act that robbed a man of his life and devastated a family forever,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said in the press release. “We are committed to seeking justice for this crime, ensuring that such violence is met with the strongest legal consequences.”

Agencies involved in the search for suspects included the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, the Michigan State Police, the United States Marshals Service and the FBI.

Johnson was arraigned on the murder charge at the 41B District Court in Clinton Township and entered a not guilty plea; the charge carries the penalty of life imprisonment without parole. A $5 million bond with the condition of a steel cuff tether if paid was set for Johnson by Magistrate Ryan Zemke. A probable cause hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, before Judge Sebastian Lucido. Johnson requested a court-appointed attorney; no defense attorney was listed for the case as of Oct. 17.

Deno Skuras, Johnson’s attorney for the arraignment, declined to comment on the case.