Mich. Police Apprehend Suspect in Hospital Shooting after Brief Manhunt

TROY, MI— A suspect has been arrested in a shooting Thursday at Corewell Hospital in Troy that left one person injured in the emergency department, officials said.

Troy police took the suspect into custody and said the hospital is "all clear" and in the process of returning to normal operations, according to a post on X around 9:40 a.m.

Police Lt. Ben Hancock earlier described the shooting as "a targeted incident between two employees of the hospital."

The shooting was reported at 7:08 a.m., Hancock said at a news conference. It occurred in the parking garage and involved a handgun fired five times. The victim, a 25-year-old man from Troy, was struck twice in the arm and his vehicle was also hit.

A statement from Corewell Health said the health system had been working with law enforcement and the hospital went into lockdown "out of an abundance of caution."

"One victim is in the emergency department for medical treatment. Patients with services scheduled should not come to the hospital at this time. Patients may call the department where they were scheduled for service directly. No other information is available at this time," the statement said.

The victim is alive and in stable condition, Hancock said. The victim identified the suspect, but police did not release any descriptions or information about him. They also had no information about what capacity the two men were employed, how long they had been employed by Corewell or what led up to the shooting.

"It seems that they did know each other. I'm not sure how extensively ... at work or outside of work, but that's something that we are looking into here," Hancock said.

Police also confirmed that the victim and suspect were both employees of the hospital.

An emergency alert The Detroit News obtained warned visitors to avoid the area near the hospital at M-59 and Dequindre Road and shelter in place.

Troy police said agencies from all over the area, including some federal agencies, responded to the shooting. The search for the suspect included canines, drones and helicopters throughout the area, Hancock said.

Police cars blocked traffic in both directions of Dequindre Road at 19 Mile south of the hospital for hours Thursday morning. Another police vehicle blocked the northbound lanes of Dequindre Road. A row of police cars and other vehicles were parked on the far right southbound lane of Dequindre. Police sirens intermittently flashed.

Nearby, some cars were parked along the road and down a side street, with drivers inside waiting to see what happened next and whether they would be allowed to get in to the hospital at some point.

Dante Bartalino, of Shelby Township, a tow truck driver, was among them. He said he was supposed to pick up a disabled vehicle in the hospital parking garage Thursday morning when the car's owner called him to let him know what was going on.

"The vehicle's owner works the night shift here and her car wouldn't start and I was going to tow it to the dealership," he said. "I told him I was here but there was no way I was getting in."

Bartalino said he drove home and came back in his own vehicle to see what happened next.

"I don't know what to think about all of this," he said. "My girlfriend is pregnant and I wouldn't be bringing her here with all of this going on."

Colleen Thompson, 59, a nursing assistant secretary and a 13-year employee at the hospital, was waiting in her car for police to let her in so she could start her shift.

She said she was on her way in when a co-worker called to warn her.

"Listening to her voice, she sounded so scared," Thompson said. "All my friends are there so of course I was worried. They're all freaking out up there."

She said she is considered to be like a second mother to co-workers on her floor and she feels like they are like her kids.

"It's a shame what this world has come to," she said. "This whole thing is very scary."

Acts of violence are the third most common cause of fatal workplace injuries, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In 2023, homicides accounted for 8.7% of all occupational fatalities.

Last fall a shooting at a steel treatment facility in Farmington Hills, following a dispute between two employees, left one person injured and in the hospital.

"It’s a horrifying day when patients and employees of our biggest employer have to worry about the threat of gun violence as they head to work or medical treatment," Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter said in a post on Facebook. "I’m relieved that no lives were lost in this latest incident and thankful for the quick and efficient response from law enforcement. But I’m devastated that for the third time in the last few years, our residents have had to experience the trauma of such senseless violence in the places where we work and live."

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