2 Held In Connection With Party Store Murder After Turning Up At Toledo Hospital
CLINTON TWP. (WWJ) - Authorities say two people are being held in connection with the murder of a 50-year-old party store owner in Macomb County.
The man and woman, both described as persons of interest, are currently being held in Ohio, officials said Saturday morning.
The man was located at a Toledo hospital seeking treatment for two gunshot wounds, and is currently being held on a warrant from the Michigan Department of Corrections for parole absconder.
The woman is being held as an accessory after the fact. Officials are working on presenting the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office with a warrant request.
No further information was released.
Police responded to a burglar alarm at Bernie's Market, on Garfield Road just north of 17 Mile Road, around 11:30 p.m. Thursday and found store owner Emil Salam dead on the floor with a gunshot wound to the head. Officers also found a trail of blood left by the suspect as he fled the scene, apparently in a car that was parked behind the building.
"There was an attempted robbery; there was an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and the owner … resulting in the death of the party store owner," Clinton Township Police Lt. Anthony Greene told WWJ's Mike Campbell.
Investigators immediately started checking area hospitals, saying the suspect had lost a large amount of blood, but they came up empty-handed.
Reports described the suspect as 5'10" to 6' tall with a stocky build.
Bernie's Market was robbed back in January, but police aren't sure if the incidents are connected.
Anyone with information on the incident is urged to contact police at 586-493-7803.
