MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. — What was supposed to be a routine Halloween shopping trip for costumes turned into a blood-soaked nightmare Friday afternoon when gunfire erupted inside a Spirit Halloween store, leaving one man dead and the alleged shooter beaten by the victim’s family while already in police custody.
Video obtained by local outlets shows a chaotic scene outside the store on John R Road near 14 Mile, where a group of people — identified by police and witnesses as family members of the victim — swarmed and assaulted a handcuffed 21-year-old Oak Park man as officers tried to place him in a police vehicle. The suspect suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a separate hospital before remaining in custody.
Police say the shooting unfolded just after 2 p.m. following a brief altercation between the Oak Park man and a 21-year-old Detroit man inside the packed store. The Detroit man was shot multiple times with a 9mm handgun recovered at the scene and later died at the hospital. Investigators said the two men knew each other and the shooting was not random. No ongoing threat to the public was reported.
The suspect’s wife, Alanna Benson, told reporters her husband was acting in self-defense to protect their family. She said she, her husband, and their three young children, including a 4-year-old whose birthday costumes they were buying, were leaving the store when a man her husband had history with approached them. According to Benson, the man told her husband, “No, right now,” then reached into his hoodie pocket. Her husband, whom she said holds a Concealed Pistol License (CPL), drew his firearm and fired. She claimed the other man had previously “shot up” her husband’s mother’s home.
“They’re making it seem like he’s a bad person,” Benson said. “His first instinct was to protect his kids.” She added that her husband was placed in handcuffs and then “left to get jumped by the man’s crew.”
Madison Heights police have stated that detectives will submit the investigation to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office and anticipate seeking criminal charges. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Police Chief Brent Lemerise noted that investigators are still determining whether the suspect was legally carrying the firearm and whether proper gun safety protocols were followed.
Witnesses inside the store described hearing what they initially thought was a balloon popping before realizing it was gunfire, sending shoppers scrambling for exits amid the Halloween displays. The store closed for the remainder of the day.
The incident has drawn attention for the stark contrast between the family’s self-defense claims and the graphic video of the alleged vigilante-style beating of a detained suspect in a public parking lot filled with officers. As the investigation continues, questions remain about what exactly sparked the confrontation between the two men and whether the shooting will ultimately be deemed justified.
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