By: Julie Snyder | Mount Clemens - Clinton - Harrison Journal | Published February 29, 2016


MOUNT CLEMENS — A Mount Clemens man had authorities searching for two armed gunmen Feb. 26 after claiming that he had been caught in the crossfire of a shootout near the city’s downtown area.

Macomb County Sheriff’s Lt. John Michalke said the 49-year-old man claimed that he was traveling in a motorized wheelchair near Park and Court streets at around 3 p.m. when he found himself in the middle of a gunfight between two other men.

When deputies arrived at the scene, they found the man still on the phone with dispatch with a gunshot wound to his left calf.

The man was transported to McLaren Macomb Hospital for treatment, where he painted an elaborate picture of what had occurred, Michalke said. The man said he was on his way home from a liquor store when the alleged shootout occurred. He gave descriptions of both shooters to detectives and claimed that at least a dozen shots had been fired.

Michalke said deputies were able to quickly determine that no shootout had occurred, as there was no evidence at the scene. In addition, the Sheriff’s Office received no other calls about gunfire in the area.

“It was an accidental shooting; he accidentally shot himself,” said Michalke. “There was no shootout.”

The man later admitted that he made up the story because he had accidentally shot himself with his own gun, according to authorities. The gun allegedly used had not been found as of press time, after investigators received a search warrant for the man’s home on North Broadway, Michalke said.

Sheriff Anthony Wickersham reported that the man has a prior felony conviction, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is a felony charge. The sheriff will be seeking a warrant for the man for filing a false felony report and possession of a firearm by a felon.