Police said the victims included the suspect’s parents, brother and his brother’s girlfriend.
LIVONIA, MI — A 25-year-old man was in custody after four people were shot and killed Tuesday evening at a suburban Detroit home, including his parents, his younger brother and his brother’s girlfriend, Livonia police said.
The killings brought a heavy police response to a residential block of Rensellor Street near 7 Mile and Inkster roads and left investigators sorting through family history, firearms evidence and witness accounts. Police Chief Thomas Goralski said officers had not been called to the home before for trouble and had not identified a clear motive.
Police said officers were sent to the home shortly after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday after reports of gunfire. When they arrived, a man walked out of the house with his hands raised and surrendered without incident, Goralski said during a Wednesday briefing. “We don’t know why this happened,” Goralski said, adding that investigators were aware of what he called a “contentious relationship” between the suspect and his parents. Police said the man told officers he had shot family members inside the home. Officers then entered the property and found four people with gunshot wounds, two in the backyard and two inside a bedroom.
Police identified the dead as Sterling Ray Pierce, 58; Holly Marie Kimball, 53; Tanner Ray Pierce, 22; and Nevaeh May Jaslynn Finch, 21. Goralski said Pierce and Kimball were the suspect’s parents, Tanner Pierce was his brother, and Finch was Tanner Pierce’s girlfriend. Sterling Pierce and Kimball were found in the backyard, while Tanner Pierce and Finch were found inside the home. All four died at the scene. Police said a semiautomatic rifle believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered, along with other firearms from the home. Investigators were still checking whether the weapons were legally owned. Authorities had not publicly released the suspect’s name as of Wednesday evening because he had not yet been arraigned.
The home sits in a quiet part of Livonia, a western Wayne County suburb roughly 20 miles northwest of downtown Detroit. The city’s public identity is built around neighborhoods, schools and public safety, which made the shooting stand out sharply for local officials and residents. Goralski said the department had no record of earlier calls for service at the house. He also said police had no confirmed prior report of a mental health concern involving the suspect, though neighbors and family friends told local reporters they believed he had struggled. Officials did not say whether that belief was part of the investigation. Goralski said police were still reviewing the suspect’s background, the family’s history and the events that led to the gunfire.
Friends and neighbors described the victims as familiar, kind and connected to the block. A makeshift memorial of flowers, candles and balloons grew on the porch Wednesday as people stopped outside the home. Pamela Ferrarotti, who said she had known Kimball and Sterling Pierce for decades, said it was hard to understand the scale of the loss. “It’s just so hard to imagine that their whole family is gone,” Ferrarotti said. Neighbor Judy Cook said her husband had helped set up a pool in the family’s backyard earlier Tuesday, before the shooting. She said the day had seemed normal until she later heard rapid gunfire. “I just heard a lot of shots,” Cook said.
Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan named the victims in a Wednesday statement and said the city was grieving another violent death less than two weeks after an unrelated fatal stabbing in Livonia. The mayor said the two cases were separate but had shaken families, neighbors and first responders. Goralski also called the shooting a tragic event for the city and said police, fire crews, investigators and dispatchers responded to a scene that remained active for hours. Police said there was no ongoing threat to the public after the suspect was taken into custody. Investigators continued to process the house and collect statements from people who knew the family.
The case was expected to move next to prosecutors and a district court arraignment. Police said the suspect could appear before a judge as early as Thursday, June 11. Formal charges had not been announced by Wednesday evening. Prosecutors were expected to review police reports, firearms evidence, autopsy findings and statements gathered at the scene before filing charges. Goralski said investigators were still working to determine the order of events, the reason for the shooting and whether any warning signs had been missed. He said the suspect surrendered peacefully, but that did not answer the larger question of why four people were killed inside and outside the home.
By Wednesday night, the home had become both a crime scene and a place of mourning. Neighbors stood near the street and spoke quietly about the family, while police continued their work. Some described Kimball as warm and friendly. Others said Tanner Pierce and Finch were often seen together at the house. Family members declined some public interviews, saying they were in shock. The shooting also left smaller signs of the violence inside the house, including reports that two dogs were found there and one had been wounded in the leg but was expected to survive. Police did not say whether anyone else was inside the home when officers arrived.
The suspect remained in custody Thursday, June 11, as Livonia police prepared the case for prosecutors. The next major step was an arraignment, where charges and the suspect’s name were expected to become public.
Author note: Last updated June 11, 2026.