Oakland County Sheriff\'s Department/Madison Heights Police Department Christopher McKinney
A 29-year-old Madison Heights, Michigan, man is accused of attacking his mother and stepfather when they asked him to stop playing video games in their room so they could go to sleep, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Christopher McKinney is accused of stabbing his mother, 66, and stepfather, 71, on December 11. The stepfather died as a result of his injuries four days after McKinney’s violent reaction to the couple’s request, MLive reported.
Madison Heights Police Chief Corey Haines told Local 4, “He punched (his) mom in her face breaking her nose. (He) punched (his) stepdad several times, (so his) stepdad went and retrieved a knife from the kitchen to defend himself and his wife. (McKinney) somehow got the knife away from him and then stabbed his mother and stepdad.”
A neighbor found McKinney in the hallway of the apartment building where the family lives. Haines said, “He was laying down in the hallway and he had blood all over him. There was blood everywhere — all over the walls, the ceilings, the hallway.”
When police arrived, both parents were lucid and able to tell police what happened, according to Local 4. Though McKinney’s stepdad died, updates on the mother were not available as of December 17, per MLive.
A neighbor told Local 4 that McKinney had been homeless until three months ago, when he moved in with his mother and stepfather.
McKinney Fought Police as They Arrested Him, Yelling Racial Slurs, Spitting & Telling Police, ‘You Guys are Going Down’
WDIVPolice body cam footage shows officers arresting Christopher McKinney.
Fox News 10 Phoenix shared body camera footage that was released by police. McKinney’s hands look to be covered in blood as he resists several officers who are trying to arrest him. McKinney is seen spitting at officers and is heard saying, “You guys are going down,” and spews a racial slur.
He later says, “I’ll tell this in the trial. I’ll tell this in the trial and they believe me because I’m white!”
Haines told Local 4, “It’s a lot for the officers to take on. Add the pandemic on top of that, you don’t want someone else’s blood on you as much as they don’t want yours on them. Here, it’s everywhere.”
Local 4 said McKinney also assaulted a fire lieutenant who was trying to administer first aid at the scene.
McKinney’s LinkedIn Page Says He Has a Psychology Degree & Was Involved in Social Work Involving Youth, Education & Poverty
A background check and some social media sleuthing on McKinney seem to point to a man who has changed significantly over the last few years.
According to McKinney’s LinkedIn page, where he describes himself as a “Life-long learner. Problem solver. Known to make a difference,” he earned a psychology degree from Northwestern University in 2014.
His work history includes work in education, specifically in helping underserved and impoverished people navigate their way to financial and educational success through nonprofit organizations.
An organization McKinney said he founded and was executive director of, Campus Rise, looks to have never gotten off the ground. According to information on LinkedIn, it was founded in 2015, then social media posts stop that year and the link to the website leads to a dead end.
While his LinkedIn profile paints a picture of a young man trying to do good in the world and help others, court records show he was arrested in 2012 on an assault charge in King County, Washington, but was found not guilty. Local 4 reported that police said McKinney was charged with an assault in the recent past against his mother and stepfather, but those charges were dropped.
McKinney’s current charges include homicide, assault with intent to murder, and two counts of obstructing or resisting an officer. He is being held at the Oakland County Jail on a $760,000 bond, jail records show.
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