On Tuesday, March 19, Timothy Kildee, 57, the brother of Michigan Representative Dan Kildee, was tragically shot and killed in his Vienna Township residence in Genesee County, Michigan, according to an unfortunate event that took place early in the morning.
Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson identified the suspected shooter as Timothy’s 27-year-old son, also named Timothy, who is currently in police custody and facing multiple charges.
The situation escalated after a reported domestic dispute around 2:50 a.m. in Burton, Michigan. The police have stated that the suspect engaged in a confrontation with another individual and pulled out a firearm.
The suspect subsequently fled the scene and reached out to his mother, the victim’s former wife, who drove him toward his father’s home. The young man unexpectedly exited the vehicle before they arrived at their destination.
His parents went to look for him, with the victim eventually making his way back to his house.
The suspect later arrived at his father’s house, where a dispute occurred. The suspect is alleged to have demanded his father’s wallet and keys before shooting him, based on the account of another son who was present in the house at the time and heard the fight.
Sheriff Swanson walked through the chain of events leading to the fatal incident, including the suspect’s departure from his mother’s vehicle, his return to his father’s home, and the subsequent argument that culminated in gunfire.
The suspect fled the scene in his father’s pickup truck, which he crashed about eight minutes later. The violent crash left him with severe injuries, leading to his hospitalization and police watch. The passengers of the other vehicle involved in the accident reportedly suffered minor injuries.
The charges leveled against the suspect, as delineated by Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton, include open murder, carjacking, armed robbery, utilization of a firearm during the commission of a felony, carrying a concealed weapon, and possibly a motor vehicle violation related to the crash. Leyton added that toxicology reports are pending to determine if substance abuse by the suspect played a role in the incident.
Upon hearing the news from Sheriff Swanson, Rep. Kildee left Washington, D.C. to return to Michigan.
Rep. Kildee later issued a statement expressing his family’s deep grief over the loss of his brother and requesting privacy. “Our family is grieving and heartbroken. The pain of losing a cherished brother and family member in such a horrific tragedy is indescribable. We appreciate the respect for our family’s privacy during this challenging time,” he stated on X (Twitter).
As the investigation continues, Sheriff Swanson indicated that the suspect’s potential mental health or substance abuse issues are being examined as possible influencing factors in his behavior leading up to the shooting.
