Man killed in officer shooting was suspect in Redford double homicide

Redford Township — The scene at the house where police say two people were killed Friday offered few clues about the violence that erupted.

Christmas lights outside the home on a typical suburban street suggested the holidays were coming. A portion of a porch railing from the home lie in the bushes, with the holiday lights still clinging to it.

A man who died over the weekend in a police officer-involved shooting on Detroit's east side was a suspect in the double homicide in Redford Township, police said.

Redford Township police confirmed the person, whom they had not identified by Sunday evening, was the suspect in the shootings of the two women, ages 18 and 49. In an update Monday morning, police said the double homicide took place on the 14300 block of Mercedes, which is north of Schoolcraft and east of Inkster Road. 

The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office did not respond to requests for information on the victims but, on Monday, Redford police identified the suspect as Louis Veal, 65. Veal was known to both women and lived in the home where the shootings took place, police said.

The officer-involved shooting took place around 4:40 p.m. Saturday in the 8000 block of Woodlawn near the Van Dyke, when officers confronted him, Detroit police said. The man was in his 60s, said Officer Vanessa Burt, a spokeswoman for the Detroit Police Department.

No officers were injured in the shooting.

Burt said the suspect opened fire at officers, who returned fire. He was caught in crossfire and died en route to the hospital.

The front porch of the white-sided bungalow where the two victims were at before the shooting was decorated for the holidays. Christmas lights were strung from the railings and posts. A light covering of snow dusted the porch.

Police said Saturday night that two men had been detained at the scene of the shooting. By Sunday, they were released from custody, police said.

Burt said Detroit police are talking with Redford Township police in the respective investigations. 

srahal@detroitnews.com

Staff Writer James Dickson contributed to this report.