DEARBORN – A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the city of Dearborn and a city of Dearborn police officer in the shooting death of a man in the police station lobby on Dec. 18, 2022.

On that date, 33-year-old Ali Naji entered the Dearborn police station holding a firearm and attempted to shoot at an officer in the lobby. His gun malfunctioned and during that time, the police officer behind the front desk fatally shot him.

The shooting at that time caused controversy in the community and Naji’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dearborn police. Both the Dearborn Police and the Michigan State Police carried out separate investigations into the incident.

U.S. District Judge F. Kay Behm noted in her decision that the involved police officer witnessed a clear threat to himself and others when a man entered the lobby of the Dearborn Police Department and, without warning, pointed a gun at the officer, pulled the trigger and then attempted to correct his malfunctioning gun.

The judge unequivocally determined that the officer’s use of deadly force against the individual “was not excessive” and that had he not engaged the armed individual, he “would have left an armed man who appeared willing to use his firearm alone in the police station lobby where members of the public, other officers and staff could enter at any moment.”

Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin expressed gratitude for the court’s decision and stated the officer faced a significant threat to himself, fellow officers and the public. Despite welcoming the decision, Chief Shahin expressed condolences to the deceased’s family and the officers present during the incident.

“While we welcome the Court’s decision, our thoughts remain with the family of the deceased and the officers that were present that day,” Shahin said.