4 Dead, 2 Hurt in Detroit Bank Shootout

A shotgun-toting man singing the Lord’s Prayer went on a deadly shooting rampage at a bank here Tuesday, slaying three and wounding two others before police shot him to death.

The killings at the Eastside Detroit bank immediately prompted comparisons to the Feb. 28 shootout between two heavily armed and armored robbers and outgunned Los Angeles police outside a North Hollywood bank.

But Detroit Police Chief Isaiah McKinnon said it appears that the latest bank shootout was less a planned robbery attempt than an act of random violence by a mentally unstable individual.

“He was supposedly depressed over a domestic situation,” McKinnon said in a late afternoon press conference at police headquarters.

The dead suspect was identified as Allen Griffin, a 21-year-old convicted felon wanted for parole violations. The police said he has convictions for burglary, carrying a concealed weapon and cocaine possession.

Police said that Griffin, a car wash employee with addresses in Detroit and nearby Ferndale, was despondent over a failed marriage. He had three children and his wife had recently filed for divorce. Family members said he had a chronic drug problem.

The shootings began just before 10 a.m. when the assailant shot in the face a 23-year-old man who was jogging with his dog. The injured man, who police declined to identify, was listed in serious condition at a nearby hospital.

Police said Griffin, dressed in a gray, black and white camouflage jacket and hat, then stole a gray Volvo and drove several blocks to a branch of Comerica Bank located in a commercial strip of a middle-class residential neighborhood. Brandishing a 12-gauge pump shotgun and carrying a walking stick, he entered the bank and announced it was a robbery, authorities said.

“The guy came in and said ‘It’s a holdup!’ ” said a shaken Charlene McDonald, who, with her two children, was depositing a check. “And he yelled out real clear, ‘Everyone on the floor!’ ”

As the dozen employees and customers dropped, Griffin turned to his right and without warning shot and killed the branch manager, 52-year-old Stanley Pijanowski.

He then ordered a female security guard to leave the bank. According to witnesses and the bank videotape, Griffin ordered everyone to sing the Lord’s Prayer. He sang with them even as he continued shooting and shouting obscenities.

He shot and killed James Isom, 25, a retail services representative. He also shot Lisa Griffin, 38, the assistant branch manager, but her wound was superficial and she was listed in fair condition in the hospital.

McKinnon said that on at least one occasion Griffin’s weapon misfired and one of the people in the bank was spared.

While Griffin appeared calm and in control in the videotape, witnesses said he was agitated and at times incoherent. He rambled and said “I want the money” but never made any effort to collect any cash.

Police arrived at the scene within minutes of the first bank shooting, alerted by a silent bank alarm. As they assessed the situation, an elderly man pulled into the parking lot and approached the front of the bank.

The police yelled at the man to back away. But before he could retreat, Griffin ran out the front door and took the man hostage. He held him by the neck while pointing the gun to the man’s head.

Griffin backed with his hostage toward an alleyway. When the man resisted, he was pushed to the ground and shot in the head. The police responded with a barrage of fire that killed Griffin.

“As soon as he shot the hostage, they just opened fire and blew him away,” said a witness, who works across the street and declined to give his name. He said there were about 30 police officers on the scene.

Griffin was hit five or six times, police said. Dozens of shell casings littered the bank’s parking lot and a bullet hole was visible through the rear window of the dead hostage’s Lincoln. The elderly hostage’s name was not released.

The carnage here initially brought speculation whether this was a copycat of the dramatic bank shootout in Los Angeles 12 days ago that left 11 police officers and six civilians injured and the two heavily armed robbers dead.

McKinnon said just a few days ago he was talking about the possibility of similar incidents occurring.

“When something like that happens, there will often be copycats,” he said. “I was just hoping it wouldn’t be in Detroit.”

* GUNMEN’S HEISTS: FBI believes pair killed in North Hollywood shootout committed no more than five robberies. B3