Toledo man found shot dead outside Michigan mobile home

A Toledo man was found fatally shot outside this home on Heather Street in Inverness Community off Lewis Avenue just north of the Ohio line. The name of the man killed Saturday was not disclosed.

TEMPERANCE — Investigators with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and Michigan State Police were attempting to sort out the circumstances of an early morning shooting at a mobile home park just north of the state line that left a Toledo man dead on Saturday.

The sheriff’s office declined to release the name of the victim, who was 46.

Sgt. Heath Velliquette of the sheriff’s office said he responded to a report of shots fired about 5:20 a.m. Saturday in the Inverness Community off Lewis Avenue. In the 200 block of Heather Street, deputies found an unresponsive “subject lying in the street,” the sergeant said.

The homeowner was taken into custody without incident, he said. The man, who is in his 30s, was charged with open murder, although officials said the investigation is ongoing.

“We believe with the information we have that there was some type of previous contact with the victim of the shooting and the homeowner,” Sergeant Velliquette said. “The initial investigation shows that there may have been a robbery that may have gone bad, but we cannot confirm that at this time.”

The sergeant said that Monroe County is working with Toledo police to find a woman who apparently was with the Toledo man who died.

Some residents of the sprawling mobile home community reported being awakened by the sounds of shots fired, an uncommon sound in their otherwise quiet neighborhood.

“I heard three shots. It woke me up,” said Mary Mylek, who lives one street over. “I didn’t know what to think to have that happen.”

Laura Bourn said a neighbor called her about 7 a.m. to let her know that shots had been fired next to her mother’s home on Heather. Ms. Bourn, who also lives in the Inverness Community, said she raced to her mother’s house and police allowed her to go inside to check on her 86-year-old mother, who was fine.

Her mother had heard gunfire and also heard someone knocking at her door, although she did not answer it, Ms. Bourn said.

“My mom’s been with Inverness since 1977 and this is the first time anything like this has happened,” she said. “You hear about someone’s shed getting broken into, but that can happen anywhere.”

Sherri Brescol, who lives two doors down from the scene of the shooting, said she didn’t hear any gunshots althrough she did hear someone knocking at her door and she assumed it was the homeowner now in custody.

“I knew it was probably him because he comes over occasionally, but I had my family here,” she said, explaining that her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild were visting from Minnesota. She also did not answer the door.

Bloody fingerprints were visible on her side door. Ms. Brescol said it was her understanding that her neighbor was being robbed, that during a confrontation with the two intruders he was stabbed with a knife and then reached for his gun.

“He was being robbed and he was defending himself,” she said, adding that “he’s a good kid. I hope everything turns out OK.”