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MSP investigating after man killed in Kzoo standoff – no gun found

Posted at 7:19 PM, Apr 04, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-04 19:28:10-04

KALAMAZOO, Mich.  — A 37-year-old man from Scotts who allegedly threatened police Thursday morning in Kalamazoo later wound up dead. No officers were injured.

Michigan State Police say Thomas Verile Jr. was fired upon by several officers at a home at 2826 East G Avenue, after making the threats and saying he had a weapon.

It began around 10 a.m. Thursday, when members of the MSP Fifth District Fugitive Team went to arrest Verile, who they say was a parole absconder.

According to an MSP news release, “Verile was wanted for violating his parole related to a criminal conviction of breaking and entering, and a felony firearms charge. Verile also had active warrants for failure to appear in court on a short-barreled shotgun charge and child neglect.”

Police had tried to arrest Verile on Tuesday morning in Kalamazoo, but MSP says he nearly struck two detectives while fleeing in a vehicle – which he later crashed through two gates. MSP says he took off running and a canine was unable to track him down.

But that changed Thursday morning when officers arrived at the home on East G Avenue. Says Michigan State Police in a news release: “The exact circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation, but it is known that several officers fired shots at Verile”.

Police say Verile was taken to Ascension Borgess Hospital, where he was declared dead. MSP says police did not find a gun on Verile. The MSP Third District Investigative Response Team is now conducting the investigation.

Offices involved are from the MSP Fifth District Special Investigation Section, the Battle Creek Police Department, the Michigan Department of Corrections and the U.S. Marshals Service.

State Police say their policy permits officers to point or discharge a firearm in self-defense or defense of another person when the officer believes there is imminent danger of death or great bodily harm.