Southgate, Michigan. — A man suspected of shoplifting died Saturday after he was shot by a Southgate police officer near Meijer.
This happened just steps away from the crowd of Fort Street Dream Cruise visitors..
The shooting happened in the parking lot of the Meijer Hotel off Fort Street around 3:45 p.m. Saturday.
A group of people were enjoying the start of a cruise and having a barbecue near the parking lot when the area turned into a crime scene.
“We were having a barbecue and the next thing you know, the cops showed up and shot someone,” said a man who witnessed the shooting.
He asked Local 4 not to disclose his name.
“It was pretty crazy,” he said. “Everything went so quickly that we didn’t even understand what was happening or why.”
Officers say they were called to the scene around 3:45 p.m.
“Officers were dispatched to Meijer regarding ongoing retail fraud and shoplifting,” Southgate Police Chief Mark Midlarz said.
Police arrived and found a man and woman they suspected were stealing from Meijer.
“The male eventually pulled out a sharp instrument of some kind. At this time, he engaged our officers and one of our officers fired at least one shot, striking the male subject,” Midlarz said.
The man was taken to the hospital, where he died.
Local 4 was told the officer was not injured and the woman who was with the man was in custody.
“We had a lot of manpower for this dream cruise,” Midlarz said. “We were fortunate that because we had so much manpower, we were able to quickly contain it and begin the investigation, but as you pointed out, there’s a lot going on and it’s no doubt wearing on our officers.”
Local residents say they were surprised to hear about the incident.
“Surprised, just shocked,” said Tammy Foster, who was on the cruise. “A particularly large parking lot with so many people.”
The Michigan State Police is currently investigating and, as is protocol in these situations, the officer involved is on administrative leave.
Copyright 2026 WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.