Strip mall in Pontiac where police say a 33-year-old panhandler was fatally shot. (Credit: Fox 2 News)
PONTIAC, Mich. (WJBK) -
A 33-year-old panhandler was fatally shot Sunday evening in Pontiac. A customer at a Mobil gas station spotted Nils Vikstrom on the ground around 7:15 p.m. and called 9-1-1.
Vikstrom's blood is still visible in the snow outside the gas station. Investigators followed a trail of blood to a strip mall across the street.
Once there, Oakland County Sheriff's deputies encountered a 35-year-old man from Troy, the owner of a gaming cafe called Reel Amusement. He is also an employee of a Metro PCS store. He told investigators there was a confrontation, that he shot Vikstrom, and gave them the gun.
"He had relayed he felt threatened," said Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard.
The sheriff explained Vikstrom had a reputation for being aggressive. He had four convictions for being a public nuisance and disorderly and an assault. Vikstrom had just been released from Havenwyck Mental Hospital a few days ago and had been picked up by police at a Speedway in Auburn Hills for panhandling earlier on Sunday. They dropped him off at a nearby McDonald's.
At some point, police said Vikstrom made his way a mile down University Drive to the strip mall where he was shot three times.
Investigators said Vikstrom had no weapons on him. They are now reviewing surveillance video to try to determine just what happened.
The store owner, who allegedly fired those fatal shots, is in the Oakland County Jail pending possible charges.
Monday, June 17 2013 9:27 PM EDT2013-06-18 01:27:07 GMT
The jury in the manslaughter trial of Detroit officer Joseph Weekley did not reach a verdict on Monday. The jury has now deliberated for two full days.
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Friday, June 14 2013 5:57 PM EDT2013-06-14 21:57:29 GMT
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Thursday, June 13 2013 5:44 PM EDT2013-06-13 21:44:55 GMT
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Monday, June 10 2013 7:55 PM EDT2013-06-10 23:55:49 GMT
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Tuesday, June 18 2013 11:38 PM EDT2013-06-19 03:38:44 GMT
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Tuesday, June 18 2013 11:29 PM EDT2013-06-19 03:29:11 GMT
An angry pastor is trying to keep his cool. He is mad at whoever tore apart his air conditioning unit to steal the copper, but he also says the entire community shares the blame.
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Tuesday, June 18 2013 9:46 PM EDT2013-06-19 01:46:58 GMT
Nearly a hundred years ago, two girls from Detroit put a message in a bottle and threw it into the waters of the St. Clair River. Now that message is back on dry land after being found by a diver in 30 feet of water.
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Tuesday, June 18 2013 7:26 PM EDT2013-06-18 23:26:33 GMT
The latest dig in the search for former Teamsters' boss Jimmy Hoffa will resume on Wednesday in an Oakland Township field. So far, crews have found two concrete slabs and animal bones.
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Tuesday, June 18 2013 4:54 PM EDT2013-06-18 20:54:19 GMT
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Tuesday, June 18 2013 12:20 PM EDT2013-06-18 16:20:44 GMT
Detroit Metropolitan Airport officials evacuated a section of the McNamara Terminal Tuesday morning after a canine picked up the scent of explosives on the apron, where planes load.
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Strip mall in Pontiac where police say a 33-year-old panhandler was fatally shot. (Credit: Fox 2 News)
