WESTLAND, Mich. (AP) — A man opened fire at a convenience store during an apparently botched robbery of the business, killing four people and wounding two others before he and his girlfriend led authorities on a high-speed chase in their Corvette, police said.
The man shot and killed himself in a residential back yard after crashing the car and fleeing on foot with his girlfriend, who was arrested minutes later in the same yard.
Police Chief Dan Pfannes said Leslie Gordon, 24, acted as a lookout Thursday night as Michael Lamont Schofield, 30, fired one shot each into the two clerks and four customers at Neil's Party Store in Westland, a Detroit suburb.
"It was an absolute tragedy for those people," Pfannes said. "It could have been me, you, or anyone."
Gordon was arraigned Friday on four counts of first-degree premeditated murder and two counts of attempted murder, among other charges. She was not represented by an attorney, but requested that one be appointed for her.
According to Wayne County Prosecutor Michael Duggan and police, Gordon's participation included letting two of the victims into the store after the shootings had begun, and wiping off the door before the pair fled.
While robbery appeared to be the motive, the suspects drove off before taking anything.
The pair led police on a chase before crashing the Corvette near a freeway interchange on Detroit's west side. They ran for about two blocks before officers caught the woman and Schofield committed suicide, police said.
Police believe the pair had robbed another convenience store Thursday morning in nearby Oakland County, but no one was hurt, Pfannes said.
Pfannes said two employees were alone in the store when the couple came in. He said Schofield shot and killed Feras Yousif, 29, who was the owner's nephew. Conrad Hasper, a 24-year-old part-time employee, was wounded, Pfannes said.
Two customers entered the store during the robbery. Schofield shot and killed one of them, James Kuebler, 35, and wounded the other, Fuad Abuali, 29, Pfannes said.
Just before the pair fled, Schofield shot and killed two more customers who had just parked near the door, Pfannes said. They were Kenneth Littlefield, 63, and Keith Gaddis, 44.
Hasper and Abuali were hospitalized in serious condition Friday, Pfannes said.
Schofield was convicted in 1987 of second-degree murder for shooting and killing a classmate at a Detroit high school, Duggan said. He remained in custody until his 19th birthday.
In 1998, he was convicted of attempted carrying of a concealed weapon.
About 10 family members and friends stood outside the store Friday while a cleanup crew worked inside.
Flowers and balloons that read "We love you" and "God bless you. You'll be missed" were placed next to the store's door.
Family spokesman Rudy Patros said the owner has had the store for 12 years and had been robbed about three months ago. He said the owner plans to reopen, but he did not know when.
"Nice, friendly people. A nice neighborhood store," neighbor Randy Rohoff said. "They'd give you a pack of cigarettes until (payday on) Friday. You brought (deposit) bottles in and they'd say, 'How many?' They wouldn't count 'em."