Retired Hamtramck detective’s shooting case takes a twist

Michael Szymanski/Photo supplied by the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office

By Charles Sercombe
A day-long holiday celebration, fueled with beer drinking and shots of tequila, led to an almost lethal showdown between a retired Hamtramck detective and his estranged son.
Michael Szymanski, 57, is charged with shooting his son, Steven, during a family get-together last Memorial Day weekend in the elder Szymanski’s Macomb Twp. home.
He is officially charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, a felony.
After months of delays, a preliminary examination was held Monday at Shelby Twp. 41A District Court via Zoom, although witnesses testified in court.
The first to testify was Steven Szymanski, 31.
He admitted that he had drunk beer and tequila shots, as well as smoked marijuana, during a day that started out with him helping his dad in the morning with preparing Michael’s boat for the season.
“By the end of the night, I was pretty buzzed,” Steven said.
Later in the exam, Michael Szymanski’s attorney, Todd Flood, said that, according the medical records, Steven’s blood-alcohol level was .24, which medical experts say is when blackouts begin – meaning to the point where people can have no memory of what occurs during this period.
Szymanski said that, sometime late in the night, a family argument broke out in the kitchen.
Eventually, it was just Szymanski and his dad alone in the kitchen, which is when Steven said he was tackled from behind and knocked to the floor.
“All of a sudden, we were in a wrestling match,” Steven said.
At first he thought his dad was just playing-wrestling, but it soon became a struggle to break away.
Michael was eventually pulled off, and Steven retreated to the backyard, Steve testified.
“I heard my dad still yelling,” Steven said.
Mike was yelling for his son to get out, Steven said, but it then escalated to Michael yelling at Steven’s girlfriend.
“F— you, you f—— c—,” is what Michael was yelling, Steven said.
At that point, Steven returned to go inside, and said to Michael from the back screen door, “Actually, I think your wife is a c—.”
That’s when Steven said his father shot him.
“I looked down, and I said ‘You shot me?’” Steven testified.
He said he then collapsed to the ground, and the next thing he knew he was on an ambulance gurney being taken to Henry Ford Hospital in Macomb.
His injuries were extensive, and required the removal of one kidney and parts of his colon and intestine.
Steven said he is still not well, often feels nauseous, and has a fragment of a bullet still lodged in his hip, which is a source of pain.
Steven admitted that he had been estranged from his dad and his step-mother, but he did not elaborate on what caused this friction.
In his cross-examination, the questioning by attorney Flood became sharp, and it was suggested that it was Steven who was the aggressor.
Next to testify was Steven’s childhood friend, Anthony Radtke, 30, who was with Steven all day, including helping out with the boat.
His version of events was radically different than the one presented by Steven.
Radtke testified that it was Steven who was on top of Michael in the kitchen fight with his elbow to his throat, turning Michael the color purple.
Radtke said he threw Steven off his dad and tried to keep them apart.
“I’ve never seen him that angry,” Radtke said about Steven. “I was personally terrified of Steven that night.”
Steven then went to the backyard. At some point, Michael was sitting down holding a gun, but had it pointed at the floor, Radtke said.
In the meantime, Radtke said Steven began throwing porch chairs at the house.
Steven then “barged” back into the house and “lunged” at his dad. That’s when Michael shot Steven, Radtke said.
At this point in the exam, around 4:30 p.m., visiting Judge Matthew Rumor called for an end in testimony for the day.
The exam will continue on May 27 at 11 a.m. There are at least two more witnesses to testify.
In a nod to what the defense may use to justify the shooting, the judge asked both the prosecutor and the defense attorney to submit legal briefs on the use of self-defense.
The case drew criticism from Steven’s relatives and friends, who complained that, because Szymanski is a former police officer and detective, he received special treatment.
He was questioned only for a few hours on the night of the shooting and was released.
Michael was not charged until July. He has been out on personal bond since then, and has to wear a tether.
Szymanski was known as a skilled detective in Hamtramck, but he also has vocal critics regarding how he handled some cases or interacted with residents.
Upon his retirement, Michael Szymanski has worked in the security field.
April 16, 2021