Roseville man arraigned in connection with shooting

ROSEVILLE — A Roseville man is accused of shooting two women on April 21 at a house on Macel Street.

Following the shooting, the suspect reportedly had an hourslong standoff with police. On April 23, he was arraigned in 39th District Court.

Donald Richard Pickett, 39, allegedly shot two women and barricaded himself inside the house for “several hours,” according to a press release from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office. Responding officers encountered two women on the ground when they arrived at the house. One woman had multiple gunshot wounds to her leg. The other woman had a gunshot wound to her foot. One of the women informed police that Pickett was still in the house, according to the Prosecutor’s Office. A standoff ensued before Pickett surrendered, the Prosecutor’s Office  said.

Roseville Police Chief Mitch Berlin talked about the incident at the Roseville City Council’s April 22 meeting.

“What was most impressive about the whole thing was the de-escalation used by the officers,” he said.

Berlin complimented the responding officers for rendering care to the women at the scene and getting them out of danger. He said less-lethal munitions were used to blow the windows out of the house and the department’s drone team was utilized. A Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle was used to get officers close to the house safely.

“We could’ve sent an entry team in three hours earlier and who knows what the result of that would’ve been. But the patience, training, expertise and the equipment brought it to a peaceful resolution,” Berlin said.

Roseville Mayor Robert Taylor commented on the incident at the April meeting, drawing on his experience as the Special Weapons and Tactics team commander with the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office.

“Sometimes you might be out there for 10 hours; sometimes you might just be out there for a few hours — doesn’t matter,” Taylor said. “The main thing is you guys got him out and none of our officers got hurt, so thank you for all that work.”

Pickett faces multiple charges for the incident, according to the release. He’s charged with two counts of assault with intent to murder, felonies that each carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. He faces four felony firearm counts, which each carry a mandatory sentence of two years. And he is accused of one count of having a firearm as a prohibited person and one count of having ammunition as a prohibited person, which are both five-year felonies.

Pickett was arraigned on the charges in 39th District Court by visiting District Court Judge Charles “Chip” Berschback. Berschback set Pickett’s bond at $1 million. Pickett is to have no contact with the women and to use a GPS tether if released.

“This terrible act of violence cannot be tolerated, and we will fully pursue justice to the full extent of the law, “ Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said.

A probable cause hearing was slated for April 30 in 39th District Court before Judge Alyia Hakim. A preliminary exam was scheduled to follow on May 7.

Pickett did not have an attorney as of April 24, according to a representative from the district court.