A nation-wide manhunt continues for Timothy William Berner, the 33-year-old Clinton Township resident accused of killing Sterling Heights Police Officer Mark Sawyers.
Sawyers was shot in the back of the head with a shotgun as he worked on a report in his patrol car. The murder took place at 8:40 p.m. June 4, in the middle of a crowded Target parking lot at 15 Mile and Van Dyke.
Officer Sawyers died Saturday morning at St. John-Macomb Hospital in Warren, despite valiant efforts by surgeons to save his life.
Sterling Heights Police Chief Barnett Jones said, based on video from an ATM camera near the scene, Berner had stalked another officer and then Sawyers. He drove his 1994 red Chevrolet Camaro next to Sawyersí patrol car, fired, and removed the officer's pistol. Berner was last seen driving the Camaro with the Michigan license plate YSR 497.
Hours after hundreds of friends, family and officers from throughout the U.S. and Canada attended funeral services for Sawyers at Bethesda Christian Church June 9, Jones restated his department's goal to the media.
"Today, we buried a young officer," he said. "I'm from the old school. You take care of your family and then you take care of your problem. It's time to take care of the problem. It's Berner time."
Berner is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in the Gulf War. He is a white male, 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 250 pounds. Jones said Berner has "piercing blue eyes," and tattoos on both arms. One is a U.S.M.C. tattoo on his upper right arm, two more tattoos go around his left wrist and forearm, and two are found on his upper left arm, including a dagger in a skull tattoo. Berner has brown hair, though Jones said he may have shaved his head.
Jones said Berner and Sawyers worked at the same restaurant years ago, but that was the only connection found between the two and they had no contact since.
According to police, Berner is also sought for two bank robberies this spring - one in the Lansing area and one in Brighton. In each case, a shotgun was used, but it's unclear whether it was the weapon used in the murder of Sawyers.
"We have some documentation that shows he was shopping for an opportunity to get a handgun," Jones said.
Sterling Heights Police Capt. David Vinson said Berner was dishonorably discharged from the Marines. Berner's record includes several misdemeanors in Michigan and a felony warrant for a robbery in North Carolina. Jones said he's considered armed and very dangerous.
"He's a Desert Storm veteran and he plans to survive this," Jones said. "That's what he's trained to do. We need help, but we will find him. We hope he's still here."
Local officers and federal agents have searched homes in Roseville and Clinton Township. A search of a home in Swift Falls, Minn. also was conducted Tuesday. According to the West Central (Minn.) Tribune, law enforcement officials would not verify if the subject of the search was Berner, but the woman whose home was searched said that police were looking for Berner. She told the paper she has never met Berner, but the two have mutual friends.
During that search, a Kandiyohi County sheriff's deputy was accidentally shot in the leg by a fellow officer as they entered the home to execute the search warrant. The deputy's leg had multiple fractures and nerve damage. He is recovering after surgery to repair his badly injured leg.
Berner will be the focus of Saturday's America's Most Wanted program, which Jones said could help the manhunt if Berner has left the area.
Sawyers, 30, grew up in Hazel Park and graduated high school in 1992. After earning a teaching degree from Wayne State University, he went through the police academy and became an officer for the Detroit Police Department. After spending three years in Detroit, he joined the Sterling Heights department in November.
Sawyers and his wife, Yvonne, married in June 2000. Their daughter, Lily, will turn 1 next week.
"He had good judgment and was just doing his job," Jones said. "He was writing a report ... just doing his job. He wanted to work in a better community and give back what he had to give a community. This is devastating. There is a very bold, calculated and cold killer out there, and we're going to find him."
A reward of at least $25,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest of Berner. Jones said officers have followed up on countless tips and continue to do so around the clock. Community charities, the police unions and others have contributed to increase the reward money.
"We've had tremendous support from the community and other law enforcement agencies throughout the metro area," he said. "The public support has been outstanding."
While the past week has been emotional for the 170 officers of the Sterling Heights Police Department, Jones said they remain focused on protecting and serving their community.
"The men and women wearing this uniform - they do their jobs knowing there's a possibility something could happen to them," he said. "This is a tragic day. This is what we do. We've lost a friend who was doing his job."
Anyone with information regarding Timothy William Berner is asked to call the Sterling Heights Police Department at (586) 446-2800.
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