Southfield TGI Fridays Shooting: Suspect in Custody After Woman Killed, 2 Bystanders Wounded
A 35-year-old Southfield man is in custody after a shooting outside a TGI Fridays on Evergreen Road in Southfield left a 58-year-old woman dead and two bystanders wounded, according to Southfield police.
Officers were called to the restaurant just before 11:30 p.m. Friday and found a 58-year-old woman from Inkster with multiple gunshot wounds. She was taken to a hospital, where she later died. Police say she and the man now in custody were both valid concealed pistol license holders and pulled out firearms on each other during a fight in the parking lot.
Two other people were shot during the exchange of gunfire, and police say neither was involved in the argument that set it off. A 54-year-old Detroit man was shot in the abdomen and is listed in serious but stable condition. A 42-year-old woman from Georgia was shot in the upper left shoulder and bicep; friends drove her to the hospital, where she is listed in stable condition.
Police identified the man taken into custody as a 35-year-old Southfield resident. Investigators have not released his name or announced charges.
Video of the shooting circulated widely on social media in the hours after it happened. Southfield police confirmed the footage is part of their investigation. Because of its graphic content, portions of the video shared publicly have been blurred by news outlets, including the footage reviewed for this report.
Michigan does not require concealed pistol license holders to complete de-escalation training beyond the basic safety course needed to obtain a license. The state's self-defense laws allow for the use of deadly force when a person reasonably believes they face an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm.
Southfield police are asking anyone who witnessed the shooting or has additional information to contact the department. Investigators have not said whether the man in custody will face charges, and no court date has been set. The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office typically reviews police findings before deciding whether to file charges in fatal shootings, a process that in similar Oakland County cases has taken anywhere from several days to a few weeks.
The identities of the two bystanders and the deceased woman have not been fully released beyond their ages and hometowns. Southfield police have not said what led to the initial argument between the two armed individuals or whether they knew each other before the confrontation in the parking lot.
