Police: Homeowner fatally shoots home invasion suspect

Detroit — A home invasion suspect was killed early Monday after exchanging gunfire with a homeowner who was hospitalized himself with gunshot wounds, police said.

The suspect, 45, forced the homeowner's 30-year-old girlfriend into the house at gunpoint around 12:20 a.m. on the 14900 block of Liberal, near Hayes and East State Fair streets, police said.

"The homeowner armed himself with a weapon and exchanged gunfire (with the suspect)," Sgt. Cassandra Lewis said.

The suspect, 45, was fatally wounded and the homeowner was taken to the hospital in temporary serious condition, Lewis said.

It is too early in the investigation to determine if charges will be filed, Lewis said.

Several family members declined to comment after arriving at the home just after 8 a.m. Monday. One man told media he did not want the family put in jeopardy.

"We don't know what's going on," he said.

Neighbors Donna and Dennis McCoy said they heard about eight gunshots overnight as they slept two doors down from where the home invasion took place.

"We hit the floor until the gunshots stopped," Dennis McCoy, 63, said. "We looked out the window and saw six or seven police cars."

Donna McCoy, 53, said her neighbor and his family routinely cleans up the block, which is dotted with burned-out and abandoned homes. Their efforts make the neighborhood feel like a tight-knit community, McCoy said.

"He's a very helpful neighbor; he keeps the yard up for us," she said. "They make me want to cook outside again. They make me want to put up a Christmas tree and some lights."

McCoy said she already experienced violent crime when her 25-year-old son was fatally shot nearby at Seven Mile and Kelly.

"I had to bury my son a year-and-a-half ago, so I've got to learn to trust people again," she said. "If (my neighbors) leave, I'm leaving because no one else cares."

HFournier@detroitnews.com

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@HollyPFournier