Walled Lake Barricaded Gunman, 42, Surrenders After Standoff

A 42-year-old Walled Lake man, a former member of the U.S. Navy, is in custody after barricading himself in his mother’s home in Walled Lake after firing shots from the home on Thursday, Jan. 10.

The Walled Lake Police Department first received reports of shots fired from neighbors of the home on Winwood, off of Pontiac Trail, said Walled Lake Police Chief Paul Shakinas. When officers arrived on the scene, they heard more shots.

Officers then set up a perimeter around the home and evacuated nearby residents, Shakinas said, and mutal aid response was also provided by the Wolverine Lake Police Department, Wixom Police Department, and Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, which sent a SWAT team to the scene.

There were no injuries in the incident, although Shakinas said “dozens” of gunshots were fired.

“There are reports of bullet holes in houses, so we’ll probably be dealing with that all day,” Shakinas said. “We don’t know how many shots were fired, but it looks like a couple dozen at this point.”

The man, who police were told is a former diver in the U.S. Navy, was met by police officers and deputies after surrendering. He appeared to be “heavily intoxicated,” Shakinas said, adding that the man was not armed when he came out of the residence.

“Multiple handguns” were on the scene, he said.

The man, who police were not identifying as of this posting, suffered a head laceration after slipping on ice outside the house when he was surrendering, Shakinas said.

What charges will be filed against the man, who Shakinas said the man’s mom called “a heavy drinker,” remain unclear pending review of the case by the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office. However, Shakinas said he expects to know the charges “within the next day or two.”

The man’s mother was “very cooperative (with police) and upset with her son. She answered all of our questions and was instrumental in getting him out of the house.”

“She was more concerned about her fellow neighbors and residents, and didn’t want them to get hurt.”

The mother was in the home at the time of the incident but never felt threatened by her son or was considered a hostage, Shakinas said.

The man, who Shakinas said is unmarried and has no children, was charged with assault in 1999, and he had a felonious firearms case against him out of Farmington Hills, but it doesn’t appear he was ever charged in that case.

If anyone in the area has bullet holes in their homes or place of business, Shakinas asked that they contact the Walled Lake Police Department at 248-624-3111.