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New details emerge in Dearborn Heights PD death

Posted at 5:46 PM, Dec 18, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-18 17:46:43-05

We have new information in the Dearborn Heights courthouse attack yesterday morning.

A knife wielding man lunged at a court guard and that guard shot and killed the man.

Sources say the death of 48-year-old Mark Henning is now being looked at as a possible suicide by cop, because Henning has a history of at least one suicide attempt.

Yesterday morning, Henning walked into the courthouse in Dearborn Heights intending to cause trouble.

His brother had driven Henning to the courthouse for a hearing.

Sources say Henning walked around the metal detector, a guard at the station told him to stop.

But he pulled a knife out of his back pocket or waistband, turned and entered the guard station.

Inside the courthouse, sources say Henning cornered the guard, giving him no choice.

The autopsy done today shows Henning was shot several times and the cause of death is homicide.

But that does not mean the guard will be charged, just that the prosecutor will review the case.

That will include surveillance video of the incident. The courthouse and police department have extensive surveillance cameras.

The guard who pulled the trigger is a 27 year veteran police officer who retired earlier this year and never had to use his gun on the job, until this.

The autopsy includes toxicology, which can take 6 to 8 weeks to find out if Henning was under the influence.

Then the case goes to the prosecutor for review.