By Aileen Wingblad
The Oakland Press, Sterling Heights, Mich.
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. — A Farmington Hills man is facing 13 criminal charges for an alleged barricaded gunman incident Sunday where he’s accused of firing a high-powered assault rifle at police.
Farmington Hills Police Chief Jeff King said a domestic assault case escalated with Dejuan Patrick Evans, 32, holing up in the home he shared with his girlfriend and her two kids. The injured girlfriend managed to flee the home as police arrived on the scene, and the two kids eventually escaped, too.
King said Evans fired multiple times at responding police officers, hitting cars and homes, before an Oakland County Sheriff’s SWAT team member shot him.
Evans is hospitalized under police guard and is expected to survive. He’s charged with three counts of assault with intent to murder, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, one count each of firearm possession by a prohibited person and domestic violence, and six counts of felony firearm – second or subsequent offense.
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office announced the charges Tuesday morning.
Law enforcement was called to the scene shortly before noon Sunday on a report of a domestic assault in progress in the area of Middlebelt and 12 Mile roads. The prosecutor’s office said Evans allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and threatened her life in front of her children — prompting one of the children to call 911.
The kids were still in the home when police arrived. Officers attempted to get inside but Evans allegedly pointed a rifle at them and barricaded himself, police said. The children, ages 8 and 14, had barricaded themselves in an upstairs bedroom but, like their mother, eventually escaped, police said.
After Evans allegedly appeared at the front door and began firing the rifle, a SWAT sniper shot him, police said. Law enforcement immediately gave him medical aid, and he was transported to an area hospital for further treatment, police said.
“Law enforcement rushed into imminent danger, putting their own lives on the line, to save the lives of the victim and her children,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald stated in a news release. “I commend the quick thinking of law enforcement in bringing this extremely dangerous situation to an end. My office’s top priority is public safety, and we will prosecute individuals who threaten the safety of our community and the lives of others, including children and law enforcement officers, to the fullest extent of the law.”
On Monday, King told The Oakland Press that the responding officers deserved high praise for their heroic actions, and that the investigative team and dispatchers involved in the incident also were to be similarly commended. Several police officers narrowly escaped being struck — a possibly killed — by the gunfire, he said.
If convicted, Evans faces up to life in prison.
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