A former World Series of Poker tournament ring-winner from Michigan has been arrested for murder after the shooting of a 37-year-old man in Detroit.
Craig Michael Bergeron (pictured) stands accused of fatally shooting Tommy Ireland in what seems likely to have been a random attack.
Bergeron, 34, was arrested in Detroit on Christmas Eve, the day after the shooting. He was charged with first degree murder and felony posession of a firearm.
Ireland’s family held a candlelit vigil for him on Christmas night, and described him as a “gentle giant.”
The Shooting
Police say the shooting happened around 8:40 p.m. Monday in the 9200 block of Kercheval Avenue in East Detroit. When officers arrived, they found Ireland dead at the scene from a single gunshot wound.
The suspect, who investigators determined to be Bergeron, fled the scene in a white SUV. Police say he later also assaulted another person nearby before temporarily evading law enforcement until the following day.
After arresting Bergeron, police say they found the rifle they believe was used to shoot Ireland in Bergeron’s possession.
Later reports emerged that Bergeron had made several disturbing social media posts the day prior to the shooting. In them, he can be seen driving around the Detroit suburbs in a deteriorating mental state.
That included footage of him brandishing a rifle, as well as sitting in his car rambling away on paranoid themes.
The Alleged Perpetrator
Bergeron is set for his first court appearance on Friday, January 10. The former poker pro has been absent from the live poker scene for some five years.
After making a name for himself in the world of online poker in the late 2000s, he transitioned to tournament poker. His biggest cash was $312,853 for finishing fourth at the European Poker Tour Main Event in Deauville, France. He also won $110,000 for winning a $1,000 buy-in WSOP Circuit event. He has $1.7 million in career poker earnings.
The family of the victim maintains that he was not known to Bergeron.
“It’s senseless, man. When I say Tommy was a good man, he was a good man…” Ireland’s cousin Richard Castro said, speaking to local media the day after the incident.
Poker players on online forums who knew Bergeron reacted to the news, some of them giving commiserations to the victim’s family while wondering what could have led someone they once knew to allegedly commit a random murder. The news will be another blow to the Michigan poker scene, after the state’s WSOP online Player of the Year was recently suspended for cheating.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
