Thank goodness murders don't happen very often in Ann Arbor. A rather bizarre and tragic homicide occurred in the late 1980s. If one wrote a fictional account of the incident, it would be too unbelievable, unless you were mixing The Three Stooges into a serious drama.
It all started at a teen dance party being held in the basement of a townhouse on Ann Arbor’s west side. The basement was packed with kids having a good time. Several fellows from out-of-town decided to attend the party.
During the dancing, an Ann Arbor teen accidently stepped on the foot of one of the out-of-towners we’ll call “Tom.” Tom was outraged by the fumble footed dancer’s transgression and pulled out a .25 semiautomatic “Saturday Night Special” and fired a round at the would be Fred Astaire’s foot. Â
One of the other Ann Arbor attendees who was dancing in a trench coat with a sawed off 12-gauge pump shotgun tucked under his arm witnessed the incident and decided to defend Fred Astaire. He raised his shotgun, pumped a 3” magnum 00 buckshot shell into the chamber, aimed at Tom and pulled the trigger.Â
The firing pin hit the primer on the shell, but there was no bang - only a deafening “CLICK.” Thank goodness the shotgun malfunctioned, or innocent partygoers would have been shot along with the intended victim. The crime lab ascertained this shotgun wasn't chambered for the shells used, and that caused the weapon malfunction.
Tom probably realized he was almost dead - until he heard the CLICK - and then must have been elated. Now feeling he had the upper hand, Tom raised his .25 semiautomatic, took careful aim at the shotgun-wielding Ann Arbor youth and pulled the trigger.Â
The report of Tom’s weapon was an equally crowd-hushing “CLICK.” Both gunmen hurried to clear the jams of their respective firearms. The gunmen faced each other in a blind panic. This was standoff of the worse kind, but allowed many bystanders to escape the basement.
In the meantime, Tom’s companion, we’ll call “Jerry,” walked up behind the gunfighter with the jammed shotgun and fired a round into the back of the young shotgunner’s head. The round fell the Ann Arbor youth instantly, and he died within moments, thus ending the gunfight. Pandemonium reigned as the revelers fled for their lives.Â
In the confusion Tom and Jerry got away. My partner and I were one of the first cars on the scene, and things were pretty wild upon our arrival.
Detectives were able to put the case together and arrested both Tom and Jerry, who each went to prison for this senseless crime. Jerry was ironically, but not surprisingly based on his propensity toward violence, murdered by gunfire a short time after he got out of prison. Â
Lock it up, don’t leave it unattended, be aware (of who you let into your party) and watch out for your neighbors.
Rich Kinsey is a retired Ann Arbor police detective sergeant who now blogs about crime and safety for AnnArbor.com.
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