Authorities are investigating a crime that left a 57-year-old man and 70-year-old woman dead on Welch Road in Leoni Township.  One body was found in the driveway, and the other, inside a house on Saturday afternoon (12/7).  Both apparently died from gunshot.

A suspect vehicle was identified.   Police, with a description of the vehicle, tracked it on flock cameras, and area law enforcement was alerted.

The description of what happened next tells the story of how law enforcement works together and how a criminal activity that happened some distance away can have a local impact.

When Columbia Charter Township Chief of Police Jay Niles learned the vehicle had been seen on a flock camera in Napoleon, he headed north on M-50 from Brooklyn.  Near the former Ford dealership, he saw what he thought was the vehicle.  To make certain, he turned around and followed it.  Connected with Jackson Emergency Dispatch, he confirmed that the silver Chevrolet Equinox was the vehicle in the alert.

Chief Niles continued to follow awaiting backup.  But what the suspect did next changed the plan and forced the Chief’s hand.  The suspect turned into the nearby laundromat.  At that point, Chief Niles stopped the vehicle with weapon drawn and instructed the suspect to cooperate with instructions.  The suspect did not comply.  Instead, he fled the scene in his vehicle, traveling south on Main St.  The Chief gave chase.  At Main and Michigan Streets, the suspect abruptly stopped his vehicle.  Once again, Chief Niles stopped with the suspect vehicle, and with weapon drawn, maintained contact.  Shortly thereafter, the Sheriff’s Department arrived, and the suspect was taken into custody without any further incident.

Whenever a police officer makes a stop, there is always the possibility that the officer very well could meet up with the wrong end of a gun.  Was this suspect armed or not? These details are not always known and with the high level of danger when addressing a person suspected of murdering an innocent person the officer must be prepared to address the threat of a firearm being present.

The suspect is charged with homicide and is currently in the Jackson County Jail.

The event stopped traffic in Brooklyn for about 30 minutes Saturday afternoon.  The arrest of the suspect involved several police agencies – Blackman-Leoni Department of Public Safety, Napoleon Township, Jackson County Office of the Sheriff, Michigan State Police, and Cambridge Township.  Chief Niles said all involved did a great job.  “It was a fantastic effort on everyone part from the dispatchers to all the officers who participated in this unfortunate tragedy.”  He also noted that “without the flock camera, we would not be able to know where the suspect was at the time, and I would not have had a chance to stop the vehicle.”  With that information, the Columbia police car was well positioned.  If that had not happened, “the fleeing suspect could have furthered his getaway, at least at that point.”