Michigan Congressman’s Brother Shot to Death by Family Member, Sheriff Says

Timothy Kildee, the brother of U.S. Representative Dan Kildee of Michigan, was shot and killed during a domestic dispute on March 19 in Vienna Township, according to the Genesee County sheriff and top prosecutor.

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson and Prosecutor David Leyton held a joint press conference on March 19, in which Swanson confirmed that the congressman’s brother was the murder victim.

Fox 2 Detroit reported that the suspect is the son of the victim. The sheriff had described him as a family member.

Swanson said the 27-year-old suspect will not be identified until he is charged. He described the murder as “tragic news” and said the incident started “early this morning” on March 19 at around 2:50 a.m.. “The family involved is a high-profile family that is beloved by this community,” Swanson said.

Dan Kildee said in a statement that his family “is grieving and heartbroken.”

“There are no words to describe the loss of a beloved brother and family member, especially in such a terrible tragedy,” he said. “I thank the community for honoring my family’s privacy during this very difficult time.”

Here’s what you need to know:

The Murder Was the Culmination of an Incident That Spanned 2 Other Scenes, the Sheriff Says

Dan Kildee OfficeTimothy Kildee.

Swanson described a complex sequence of events that involved three scenes.

“There were three scenes independent of each other,” Swanson said in the press conference. The first scene involved a “domestic dispute” that “did not have anything to do with Timothy Kildee, but the suspect was there at another family member’s house,” Swanson said. “He showed up, a gun was presented; he left.” Swanson said a call went to police for a “domestic in progress.”

He said the suspect left on foot after a “verbal confrontation.”

Asked about the motive, the sheriff said the investigation “shows a pattern” and includes “a potential of some substance abuse. The behavior of the suspect lends anyone to believe there was some sort of breakdown.”

Swanson described the suspect as showing “absolute violent behavior.”

Next, he said the suspect “made contact with his birth mother, who picked him up shortly after 5 a.m. and was taking him to his father’s house.”

While she was driving, the suspect “jumped out of the moving vehicle,” according to Swanson.

The birth mother, who is Timothy Kildee’s ex wife, connected with him and “said we need to go find them.”

The father returned to the house. Another family member who was sleeping in the basement heard a “confrontation” described as a “yelling match” and heard the suspect yell “give me your wallet and your keys,” the sheriff said.

According to Swanson, that wallet was later found on the suspect.

“The son downstairs heard one shot,” according to Swanson. “That shot took the life of Timothy Kildee, the brother of Congressman Dan Kildee,” he said.

The Suspect Was Involved in a Car Crash at a ‘High Rate of Speed,’ the Sheriff Says

The suspect, described in the news conference as a family member of the victim, is in custody at the hospital. He was apprehended after he took the victim’s vehicle and, eight minutes later, was involved in a “high impact personal injury accident” while traveling at a “high rate of speed,” according to Swanson.

A pickup carrying two other people was struck, but they were not seriously injured, the sheriff said.

The suspect is in the hospital under sheriff’s guard, Swanson said.

“Congressman Kildee was in Washington during this incident, and he is on the way back,” Swanson said. “There’s an eldery mother, and they have been through a lot. Clearly this is tragic.”

Leyton said that the likely charges are open murder, carjacking, armed robbery, using a firearm during the commission of a felony, carrying a concealed weapon, and a “motor vehicle infraction for the crash.”

He said prosecutors are waiting for the suspect’s toxicology report, which he said “could take some time.”

Timothy Kildee Worked in the Skilled Trades

According to the Detroit News, Timothy Kildee “worked in the skilled trades and was member of Millwrights Local 1102.”

“He was a great man,” union President Kelly Raleigh told the newspaper.

Dan Kildee is a Democrat serving the 5th Congressional District in Michigan.

According to Congressman Dan Kildee’s bio, “Before being elected to Congress, Congressman Kildee co-founded and served as the president of the Center for Community Progress, a national non-profit organization focused on urban land reform and revitalization.”

The bio continues,

He also founded Michigan’s first land bank—the Genesee County Land Bank—which is responsible for tens of millions of dollars in redevelopment in Flint. The Genesee County Land Bank later served as a model for over 250 other land banks across the nation. Previously, Congressman Dan Kildee served as the Genesee County Treasurer, on the Genesee County Board of Commissioners and on the Flint Board of Education. Additionally, he worked for eight years at the Whaley Children’s Center, a residential treatment facility in Flint for children who have experienced trauma and abuse.

Congressman Kildee resides in Flint Township with his wife, Jennifer. They have two children, Kenneth and Katy. Dan’s oldest son, Ryan, and his wife Ginger are the parents of their first two grandchildren, Caitlin and Colin.

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