Man fatally shot in standoff with police at MI motel

Marcus Deon Meridy, of Benton Harbor, allegedly abducted his ex-wife from an assisted living facility prior to the standoff at the American Inn, 1050 East Napier Ave. After negotiating with the man over the phone for half an hour, police heard gunfire in one of the hotel rooms, went inside and were reportedly shot at, WNDU reported.

Authorities say a man has been fatally shot during a standoff with police in southwestern MI after abducting his ex-wife and taking her to a motel. Officers returned fire, killing the man. His sister, Diane Young, didn’t approve of the way the situation was handled.

Meridy was in a room on the hotel’s second floor, and police said the hotel was evacuated while the standoff continued.

Christensen said the officer-involved shooting is being investigated by MSP and detectives are working to determine how many rounds troopers fired at the man, how many times the man was wounded and how numerous troopers fired their weapons. He’s OK, according to police on scene.

Police say the woman was beaten by the suspect, but has non-life threatening injuries. He said police also are trying to determine who fired the round that struck the woman in her arm.