A Michigan teenager fatally shot his own mother and her boyfriend before he barricaded himself inside the home with their bodies inside, according to police.
Desmond Thomas Burgen Jr., 19, allegedly killed his mother, 45, and her boyfriend, 52, inside a home in the 19000 block of Woodside, in Harper Woods, a suburb of Detroit, on Friday, September 2.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information about shootings from across the U.S., three people have been fatally shot in Harper Woods in 2022.
Meanwhile, Detroit has seen 158 deaths this year from fatal gunshots, the same database found.
On Sunday, a police news release said Burgen Jr. was charged that day with two counts of first-degree premeditated homicide and two counts of firearm weapons felony.
The release added: “It is alleged that Burgen Jr. shot and killed his mother and his mother’s boyfriend.”
Following the shooting, Burgen Jr. barricaded himself inside the home but later surrendered after he spoke to a negotiator for a few minutes, The Detroit News reported.
Burgen Jr. was given a $1 million cash bond and is set to have a preliminary examination on September 21 at the 32-A District Court in Harper Woods.
According to The Detroit News, public-safety director Jason Hammerle said: “We are not yet aware of motive and are awaiting autopsy results to confirm the cause of death.
“Our thoughts are with the families of the victims at this time.”
Newsweek has contacted the Harper Woods Police Department for comment.
There have been numerous cases across the U.S. where people have fatally shot members of their household or family.
In January, an 18-year-old man killed his stepfather, claiming that he did so to protect his family.
Logan County Sheriff Randall Dodds told TV station WHIO that it was possible that the shooting “could be justified.”
He added: “I don’t know that now… We were comfortable with the fact we didn’t have a killer on the loose out there.
“There was no reason to believe anything else than a domestic incident. There wasn’t any evidence… we thought we could make an arrest or take him into custody.”
According to WHIO, the stepson told the 911 operator: “He walked in and pointed the gun at me and my sister, and he told us both to get on our knees.
“He pointed the gun at our heads and then my mom came up behind him and tried to wrestle him—he threw the gun on the ground. I had to stop him. I had to protect my family.”
The stepson was not arrested following the incident.