Dearborn Heights police and dispatch personnel honored for response to armed gunman

Dearborn Heights Police Chief Mark Meyers honored police officers and dispatch employees Sept. 14 for exceptional and distinguished service during an Aug. 29, 2020, response to an armed gunman call.

Recognized at the Sept. 14 City Council meeting, held at Riverside Middle School, were Sgt. Mohamad Bazzy; Officers Wesley Ananich, Mehdi Ayoub, Mohamed Chami, Ahmad Mazloum and Hamze Younis; and Dispatchers Esmerelda Barba, Alaina Duff and Laura Nason.

Meyers said that many incidents which occur with law enforcement officers and public safety dispatchers merit recognition, and everything they do is scrutinized and reviewed multiple times.

“Sometimes the actions that we have to take are both serious and grave, and if we do our jobs properly, like the men and women here today have, we can come here today and celebrate the great work that they have done protecting themselves, protecting others and protecting the residents of Dearborn Heights,” he said.

Meyers said that at 2:17 p.m. Aug. 29, 2020, following a report of an active male shooter, Bazzy, Mazloum, Chami, Ananich, Ayoub, and Younis were dispatched to a densely populated apartment complex in the 400 block of Yorkshire Boulevard, northeast of Cherry Hill and Inkster roads.

He said dispatchers Nason, Duff and Barba were told by a female caller that a man holding a rifle was standing on an adjacent second-story apartment balcony.

“Dispatchers, through calm and exact information collection, were notified by the 911 caller that prior to calling for the police, her boyfriend had a brief encounter with the male on the patio, and that subject pointed a rifle at him,” Meyers said. “Dispatchers verified the caller was not in harm’s way, and advised that she was inside of an adjacent apartment and could still observe the armed male from her vantage point.”

He said the dispatchers continued to obtain real-time intelligence to best support the responding police officers, including that the man was firing the rifle into the air, would retreat into a second-floor apartment, then would periodically emerge back onto the balcony.

“All this while, census takers, children and residents of the apartment complex scrambled for their safety,” Meyers said. “Through experience and the ability to multi-task in a high-stress environment, dispatchers were able to quickly determine the likely apartment number and information regarding the armed subject’s identity.”

He said that the dispatchers also determined that the Dearborn Heights Police Department had an extensive history of responding to the location, and a data flag indicated that the male at the location had identified mental health concerns and had a history of violent interactions with police officers.

“Dispatchers remained on the phone with the caller to obtain vital information concerning the subject’s violent and unpredictable actions as officers began to arrive,” Meyers said.

He said Ananich was the first officer to arrive at the entrance to the apartment complex, and he recognized the extreme danger of responding to a multi-building apartment complex with winding roads, shared courtyards and limited sightlines.

“While standing by for additional officers to arrive, Officer Ananich had the awareness and poise to utilize his in-car computer to pull up the map of the apartment complex and to pinpoint the apartment building where the subject was located,” he said. “With this information, Officer Ananich and other responding officers were able to park their vehicles at a safe distance and tactically approach the location on foot, to minimize the danger to each other.”

He said that as the officers approached the location, the officers recognized that the armed subject shooting from an elevated position put them at a tactical disadvantage, and took up various positions of cover from the apartment building across the street.

“Officers began to relay real-time information to dispatch, in a calm and collected manner, including the male periodically emerging onto the balcony while armed,” Meyer said.

He said Bazzy and Mazloum entered the adjacent apartment building while keeping the suspect in sight, and at one point, they saw the man conceal himself behind the door-wall sightlines, in what appeared to be an attempt to lie-in-wait or to ambush responding officers.

“Sergeant Bazzy’s leadership skills recognized the danger and dynamics of the incident, and directed dispatch to request mutual aid from neighboring jurisdictions,” Meyers said. “Responding officers continued their mission to protect life while understanding the unpredictable behavior of this armed subject.”

He said the officers began to give verbal commands to the armed subject to drop his rifle and exit the apartment building in a peaceful manner, but the man responded with hostile comments, pointed his rifle at the officers, and eventually fired upon their positions.

“Having no other recourse, and the continued actions of the subject to shoot at officers and others in the area, multiple officers engaged the subject, risking their own lives to stop this ongoing threat to life,” Meyers said. “This exchange of gunfire appeared to stop this threat, as the subject fell to the balcony’s floor.”

He said Mazloum held his position of cover while providing security watch of the subject, who was still within arm’s reach of his weapon.

Meyers said Bazzy, Mazloum, Ayoub, Yunis, and Ananich formed a quick reaction team to enter the building, secure the subject, and render aid to him.

“The subject was located on the balcony of the apartment, and was determined to no longer be a threat to life,” he said. “Tragically, upon entering that apartment, officers also discovered two female victims, who were deceased of apparent gunshot wounds inflicted from that subject.”

Meyers said a complete, extensive, and independent investigation by the Michigan State Police Special Investigative Unit, and reviewed by the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Public Integrity Unit determined that every officer involved acted lawfully and within their scope of responsibilities to protect their lives and the lives of others.

He said the six officers exhibited courage and heroism in the face of extreme danger when the gunman’s actions showed a complete disregard for human life, including his own.

“The swift response and coordination by these officers, combined with their dependence on training and tactics, ended an ongoing threat to life,” Meyers said. “Dispatchers Nason, Duff and Barba remained calm and professional while receiving and disseminating critical information that assisted officers in their actions.”

He said the joint effort unquestionably saved lives and should serve as an example for all members of the Police Department.

“It is for these exemplary actions by these members of our Police Department that I would like to award each of them with a council citation endorsed by all members of council and the mayor of Dearborn Heights,” Meyers said, which was followed by applause and a standing ovation from those in attendance.

He said that the day of the incident was Younis’ first day off probation as a new police officer and he was riding by himself.

“He experienced something that people would never experience in their career, and he did it at one year and one day on the job,” Meyers said.

He also thanked the mayor and City Council for their ongoing support of the city’s Police Department.