Mich. Court Officer Fatally Shot while Serving Eviction Notice

Jan. 4, 2024
Robert J. Silver, an officer with the St. Clair County 72nd District Court, was found by Clay Township police with a fatal gunshot wound, and authorities arrested a suspect after a brief standoff.

A Michigan court officer was shot and killed while serving an eviction notice last week.

Robert J. Silver, an officer with the St. Clair County 72nd District Court, had gone to a Clay Township home Dec. 28 to serve an eviction notice, WWJ-TV reports. At around 2 p.m., Clay Township police arrived at the scene after Silver hadn't been heard from for several hours.

When police reached the home, officers found Silver dead from a gunshot wound. A brief standoff ensued with a suspect, who was taken into custody and charged with murder.

"It's just mind-blowing that somebody would do that," said Lisa Fowler, a friend, told WJBK-TV.

Silver was a veteran and had been with the court for 35 years. His mother sister had died in a fire in Port Huron three weeks ago, and a celebration of life was the same day that Silver was killed.

"His mother and sister just passed away," said Fowler. "He was supposed to be at the funeral that day that it happened."

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.

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