Officials: Mich. man who killed cop kept police out for hours with arsenal ... - Washington Post

More than 1,000 people attend a memorial vigil for O'Rourke outside the township police headquarters Tuesday night.

Sheriff Michael Bouchard told reporters Tuesday that the standoff lasted so long because relatives had warned investigators about his weapons, and because of a barrage of gunfire from Coley.

"It appeared to be just a battle mindset," Bouchard said. "He had the firepower. He had barricaded windows and covered doors. And the way he was firing — probably because part of his military background — he knew the best way to fire and not be spotted by a sniper."

Coley, a military veteran, had "a fully automatic Uzi" in addition to high-powered rifles, handguns, knives, a bullet-resistant vest and protective goggles, Bouchard said.

Coley, 50, was recently divorced and had been ordered to leave the home by Monday. He also faced financial and legal turmoil, including a lawsuit from federal authorities accusing him of mishandling employee's insurance funds. West Bloomfield Township police said they had also been called to Coley's home about a month ago because he was reportedly suicidal.

He killed himself with a gunshot to the mouth, according to a report released Tuesday by Dr. Cheryl Loewe of the Oakland County medical examiner's office.

Coley owned CNC Holdings, a private equity firm that bought 51 percent interest in Translogic Auto Carriers in 2008. Translogic, an 8-year-old company based in the Michigan Thumb-area town of Bad Axe, hauled new vehicles from automakers to dealerships. It had more than 200 drivers and employed dozens of others in the community.

Coley, who had worked for Ford Motor Co. and General Motors, believed he knew what automakers needed, said business partner Lyn Tetreau, who owned the other 49 percent of Translogic.

"Coley wanted to be involved in everything," Tetreau, 45, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "I was the minority owner. He was the majority. He demanded more so than suggested what we do. Coley and I had a totally different direction. We did a lot of bumping heads."

Tetreau said Coley fired him twice as company president, leading Tetreau to go to court so he could stay in charge of operations.

The U.S. auto industry was collapsing and the nation was in the Great Recession. By 2010, Translogic had filed for bankruptcy, despite Tetreau's putting about a $1 million of his own money into the company.

But Coley appeared to be making money off Translogic even when bills weren't being paid, Tetreau said.