DEARBORN, Mich, Oct. 7, 2022 — There was a seven-hour standoff between Dearborn police and a gunman at a Hampton Inn yesterday. While no hotel guests or police officers were injured during the standoff, one man, a 55-year-old hotel clerk, was shot and killed by the suspect at the start of the incident. State Rep. Jeffrey Pepper (D-Dearborn) was in his family home across the street from the Hampton Inn during the nearly seven hour standoff.
“We were sitting on the front porch watching as every cop in Dearborn suddenly was pulling up in front of our house and in the hotel parking lot, lights flashing scurrying behind cover of cars and trees,” Pepper said. “Minutes later, here comes a SWAT team climbing over our backyard fence. Some go left, some go right, two come to our back door and ask if they could go upstairs and set up surveillance from our front windows. So, here they went up to our bedroom, automatic weapons, camo, helmets and set up a position. Law enforcement and public safety personnel did an incredible job in an impossible situation ensuring that this standoff ended as non-violently as possible.”
Pepper is a strong proponent of gun reform and has been advocating for reform in the House.
“We deserve better. We ALL deserve better. The innocent clerk who was killed, the family of the slain victim and all others involved deserve better. This tragic, infuriating event was entirely preventable. It is WAY past due that we take more meaningful action on gun violence. The safety of our entire state is at stake. I plan to take the actions I promised, as soon as possible, to get these guns off our streets. Every drop of blood shed while we wait for the ‘right’ moment to take action is in our hands, while we have the power to do something about it. I’ve had enough of this.”