Fire Alarm 

As the first day of the riot ended, several hundred people had been injured, more than 1,300 had been arrested. The fire department had received 209 alarms. Nearly one mile of Twelfth Street was in flames. Police estimated that 5,000 people on the West Side and 3,000 on the East Side were involved in the looting and destruction. National Guardsmen, were appalled and angered, and one was reported as stating, "I'm gonna shoot anything that moves…." By 10:00 p.m. on Monday, the official report was fourteen dead, and more than 800 people injured, including 30 policemen and 15 firemen. There were reports of more than 100 fires and two of those were in police stations. At 11:00 p.m., it was concluded that local law enforcement could not control the situation. By 11:20 p.m., the executive order by President Johnson was approved and Federal troops were sent, as well as federalizing the National Guardsmen.

Carl Smith was a thirty-two-year-old Veteran of the fire department. He had worked there for 5 years. On Monday, Smith and his Company were at the Department's Mobilization Center on the East Side, when a call came in for 1130 Grand River. The unit was dispatched, and upon arrival was faced with heavy sniper fire, between looters and the police and National Guardsmen. A Detroit News reporter was also on the scene and watched in amazement as National Guardsmen took 7 shots to hit a nearby streetlight, that would help cover fellow officers.

During all of the chaos, Smith was separated from his unit, and when he looked up, he noticed his truck on the other side of the street. Smith made a decision to make a run for the truck and get some cover. He ran out, right between where guardsmen and police had said the hostile fire had originated. As he reached his truck, he ducked down behind a trash bin. Witnesses stated that Smith peeked out to look around for a safer place, when he suddenly slapped a hand to his forehead, and fell forward. Because of continuing gunfire, it took police 40 minutes to reach Smith, who was dead. A medical exam determined that a bullet passing through his head had killed Smith. An American flag covered his casket that was mounted to a bright red pumper truck, and taken for burial at Elmwood Cemetery..