A big search is on for retired Detroit Police officer Stefon Hodo. The 41-year-old is not a suspect. He’s probably a victim and if he’s still alive he might be horribly injured. Things are more bizarre than usual in Detroit, Michigan this week. Hodo’s neighbor used his car and weapons to terrorize a family nearby. The suspect is in custody but isn’t talking.
Hodo's car and weapons were stolen and used in the non-fatal shooting on Ferguson. The car and weapons have been recovered.
We are concerned for Hodo's well-being. Anyone with information is asked to call Detroit Police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak-Up. #OneDetroit
— Detroit Police News (@detroitpolice) July 1, 2022
Police search for missing veteran
Videos are making the rounds of social media after a pair of related shooting incidents on Thursday, June 30, led to the discovery there may also be a missing person. It may be even worse if there’s an undiscovered victim of foul play.
All the action caught on video involved a house in the 15300 block of Ferguson Street. Police are still searching as of latest updates on Saturday, July 2.
Posted on the Instagram page of Metro Detroit News is a “dramatic” video. It shows the suspect around 11:15 a.m. as he “hopped out of his car and fired directly into a home.” He left, came back around 2:28 p.m. and did it again. Another video shows him “dancing around with the rifle in the street. At one point, he was propping it up on the roof of a car.”
During the second attack, there were five people in the home, including three children. One of the occupants “exchanged gunfire with the suspect.” The resident was shot in the finger. Police took him to the hospital to have it cleaned it up and went on the search for a dangerous suspect.
The search, police relate, extended into the night. Police eventually captured the shooter, and “viral infrared camera video from the air showed officers chasing and eventually arresting him Thursday night around 11 p.m. near Schaefer Highway and Tireman Avenue.”
That’s when they learned about the suspect’s neighbor. “During that time, we found a vehicle that he had taken without his permission, and we found a couple of weapons as well,” Detroit Police Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald relates.
Still looking for former officer
“The suspect we took into custody last night is a neighbor with our retired police officer, so we have that car with our suspect, and we’re still looking for our former officer.” They will search until they find him.
At Friday’s press conference they explained where the weapons came from. “It’s scary,” Fitzgerald adds. “Like I said, this is an individual just terrorizing a neighborhood, and I can tell you right now we have no idea why.”
On Friday afternoon, the police used a search warrant to investigate Hodo’s home. There, “it looked like a struggle occurred.” They aren’t saying much more than that.
“At the house, there does appear to be a little bit of a struggle. We just want to make sure he is okay, and in case there are any other questions we have for him,” Fitzgerald assures.
“We are looking for this individual because we don’t know how he’s connected to anything. Mostly for his own safety.”
Mr. Hodo served in the Detroit Police from 2005-2013. While Detroit Police search for Mr. Hodo, they’re asking the public for any help or tips they can provide.
