A Michigan man faces years behind bars after prosecutors claim he pointed a firearm at two civilians.
Mark Denis Grzybowski, 63, is said to have pointed an air rifle at a 31-year-old man and his 4-year-old son, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
The victims were doing yard work at a neighboring home when Grzybowski pulled the gun on them and then “barricaded himself in his home,” officials said in a statement. When police got to the scene, they created a perimeter. Officers, along with other agencies, were involved in a four-hour standoff with Grzybowski.
The incident happened on Saturday, April 27, in Dearborn Heights, a suburb near Detroit.
Prosecutors said, “Defendant Grzybowski exited the residence and was taken into custody. Aspects of this case remain under review.”
It’s unclear what led Grzybowski to pull out his rifle on the father and his child, but WDIV-TV reported that he was mad over grass clippings on his driveway.
“As I’m showing my son how to use the blower, like we’re coming from the backyard into the front, and I just look to the left, he got the rifle pointed right at me and my son,” Breyon Woods told the outlet. “He said last year we left stuff on his driveway, and this year, we’re not going to do it.”
He was charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault, carrying a weapon with unlawful intent and felony firearm, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office. He is being held on a $50,000 bond. If released, he is required to wear a GPS tether.
According to the Detroit News, if found guilty, he could spend two years for the firearm charge and face five for the felony weapons charge.
“It was random. It was scary to have my son see it,” Woods added.
Last week, the Department of Justice announced the conviction of Frederick Eugene Pierallini. The 27-year-old from Florida was sentenced to five years in prison for attacking two Black women with a gun in two separate incidents in 2022.
