HARPER WOODS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Reggie Farmer dedicated more than half of his life to Ford Motor Company, said friend Ken Maynard. He worked alongside Farmer for nearly three decades.
Sadly, Friday, co-workers who had just seen Farmer leave his shift didn’t know that would be his last until they got the heartbreaking news.
“Man, my heart sank. Just a wonderful brotha. So much more than a co-worker. He touched so many lives and touched so many people," Maynard said. “His Ford family loves him tremendously."
Maynard said, “What’s so hard for us is why, why would this happen to such a beautiful human being?”
Harper Woods police say 52-year-old Farmer and his girlfriend were gunned down. The suspect is his girlfriend’s 19-year-old son, Demond Burgen Jr.
Police said they had a standoff with Burgen. A police source said it came to an end when Burgen came outside to smoke a cigarette, put his gun in his lap and the SWAT team hit him with a non-lethal 40mm round.
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A motive remains unclear for the double homicide.
“It’s shocking. We’re still all in disbelief. My phone rings, I mean, he knew so many people. So many people have reached out to me like, ‘tell me this isn’t true’. And I wish I could tell them this isn’t true," Maynard explained.
“Reginald Farmer (will) never die. His name. We’ll keep it living forever. He’ll always be with us in our hearts,” he said.
Maynard also sends his condolences to both victims' families. The identity of the female victim, a 45-year-old, has not been made public. 7 Action News did speak very briefly with her father on Friday.
Burgen was arraigned over the weekend and is being held in the Wayne County Jail with a 1,000,000 bond. He’s due back in court on September 21st for his preliminary examination.
