Michigan library security officer murdered
SAGINAW, MI September 11, 2024— A shooting in broad daylight outside a downtown Saginaw library has claimed the life of a man working security at the establishment.
A suspect is in custody, one who has been wanted on a felony assault charge for two months after allegedly threatening to kill his own father.
“Defendant is a danger to the public as he is using drugs and carrying around weapons and pointing them at people and threatening to shoot them,” prosecutors wrote in July.
Police responded to reports of gunfire outside the Hoyt Library, 505 Janes Ave., at about 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Dispatchers advised a man was down and his shooter fled west in a red or burgundy SUV with damage to its front end, as heard on recordings available on Broadcastify.com.
Dispatchers provided police with the suspect’s name and a description.
Officers and paramedics arrived to find 38-year-old Henry Ford outside, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Ford was taken to a local hospital via ambulance but died shortly thereafter, police said.
Police located a 37-year-old male suspect shortly thereafter and lodged him in the Saginaw County Jail by 8:30 p.m. on charges of open murder and felonious assault.
Ford had been working as a security guard at the library, employed by MWN Security for nearly three years, said the company’s owner John A. Moton Jr. The shooting was not work-related but stemmed from a personal matter, said Moton.
Police confirmed Ford and his assailant knew each other and the shooting was not random.
“He was a good employee, good worker, good father, and a good family man,” Moton said of Ford, who lived in Bridgeport Township.
A jokester, Ford enjoyed working on vehicles and spending time with his kids, Moton said.
As a retired Saginaw police officer, Moton has seen his share of senseless violence and bloodshed, this being the latest example.
“It’s heartbreaking,” he said. “To see a good man leave us so soon for no reason… We got a lot of people whose lives are destroyed. It’s a sad day.”
Ford’s suspected killer had been wanted on a warrant charging him with felonious assault since July 10. That charge stems from the suspect pointing a gun at his father and threatening to kill him on July 3, according to a bond recommendation from prosecutors.
