Authorities entered a west-side home after hours of police activity but said the wanted person was not found inside.
DETROIT, MI — Michigan State Police and U.S. Marshals entered a home on Detroit’s west side Wednesday after a barricaded response involving a wanted fugitive, but authorities said the person they were seeking was not found inside.
The police response began around 1:20 p.m. Oct. 14 in the 19900 block of Westbrook Street near Pembroke Avenue. Michigan State Police initially described the incident as a possible barricaded situation and said there was no known threat to the public. As the response continued, police said hostage negotiators were working to communicate with a fugitive they believed was inside the residence.
Michigan State Police Lt. Ty Howard later said the person was wanted in connection with a 28-count drug warrant and had failed to appear in court. According to Howard, a fugitive team went to the Westbrook Street residence as part of the effort to locate the wanted person.
Howard said officers heard what appeared to be a gunshot coming from the back of the house during the operation. The fugitive team then requested additional law enforcement resources. Authorities had not reported that any officer or member of the public was injured in connection with the sound of gunfire.
During the afternoon, Michigan State Police said hostage negotiators were communicating in an effort to persuade the person believed to be inside to leave the home peacefully. Officials did not immediately say how many people might have been in the residence, and police continued to treat the situation as active while specialized personnel remained at the scene.
Michigan State Police and the U.S. Marshals Service eventually entered the house, Howard said. Their search did not locate the fugitive. Authorities did not immediately explain whether investigators believed the person had left before officers entered or whether the person had been elsewhere during the police response.
The development shifted the operation from a barricaded response to a continuing search for the wanted person. Police kept the scene secured while investigators worked to determine what happened and continued efforts to locate the fugitive.
Authorities had not publicly identified the person being sought as of the latest available reports. Additional details about the underlying drug case, including the specific allegations contained in the warrant, also had not been released in the reports reviewed.
Michigan State Police continued to say there was no known threat to the public after officers entered the home. The investigation and search for the wanted fugitive remained ongoing, and authorities said additional information would be released as it became available.
Author note: Last updated October 15, 2026.