FeedsOfficials move on from shooting protest
Westland council members have opted for a letter of criticism rather than a formal resolution condemning the Romulus Police Department for actions during a shootout three weeks ago.
During the regular Westland City Council meeting Tuesday night, officials said they still didn’t approve of the police actions during the raid at Bob’s of Canton on Merriman and Warren roads, but conceded that the situation was a difficult one, at best.
“The officers that were there did their best to keep the situation under control,” said Council President Jim Godbout.
Godbout added that he was still concerned about the potential safety hazard the event posed for residents. He said that when the council members took a collective step back, they decided the more formal resolution would be harsher than necessary. The council instead decided to send a signed letter to Romulus Mayor Alan Lambert outlining their concerns.
The shooting occurred on Aug. 12 at about 3:30 p.m. after Romulus Police met five men at the strip mall.
Undercover detectives were conducting a drug buy to purchase 3 kilos of cocaine valued at $60,000. They were preparing to finalize the deal when the situation turned into an armed robbery.
The buy turned into a life-threatening situation when guns were pulled on police, who then shot two of the suspects, 28-year-old Brian Thomas and 32-year-old Benjamin Pringle, both of Detroit. Thomas died at the scene. Pringle, along with three other suspects, have all been charged with several felonies.
Initially, several officials, including Westland Mayor Bill Wild and Godbout made several statements regarding the wisdom of conducting a raid in a public place.
Westland Councilman Charles Pickering, who was the only Westland elected official to sit in on the accused men’s pre-trial hearing at the 18th District Court in Westland, said “At the time that it happened, I asked myself, ‘Why there? Why at that time?’” he said.
Still, Pickering said that he “wasn’t sure” how he felt about the resolution originally proposed.
“It’s unfortunate (the incident) included a lot of innocent people,” he said. “It was an opportunity that takes some really bad people off of the streets.”
Pickering also praised the efforts of the Romulus police for keeping the dangerous situation from developing further.
Information has emerged about a shooting incident in July in Romulus conducted by Westland police, though it’s unclear if that played any role in the decision to back away from a formal resolution.
Romulus officials – incensed that Westland officials were considering condemning their police officers – said at their meeting last week that they feel Westland officials overreacted, especially considering their police discharged their weapons within Romulus’ borders.
On July 25, Westland police were pursuing a suspect in a vehicle that led them on a high-speed chase that eventually moved into Romulus.
At about 1:30 p.m., near the busy Wayne Road-Interstate 94 service ramp, Westland patrolman pursued the vehicle, which exited at Wayne road from eastbound I-94. The vehicle then attempted to re-enter the ramp when the driver struck a guardrail.
As two Westland officers approached the vehicle, the 47-year-old suspect attempted to strike a patrolman. The officer drew his sidearm, but the suspect failed to slow down, and the officer discharged four rounds toward the vehicle. Eventually, the suspect was arrested.
Romulus police are investigating the shots fired by the Westland patrolman, according to the official police report.
Wild said he would like to put the incident behind him.
“As far as I was concerned, I said what I had to say,” he said. “I think it’s probably time to move forward.”
Wild said police departments need to work together to rebuild their relationships with each other.
“We’re in the healing mode,” he said.
Both Godbout and Wild acknowledged that they had heard about the incident in which a Westland officer fired defensive shots in Romulus, but neither were familiar enough that situation to expound upon it.
—Staff Writer Meghan Chatham contributed to this report.
