DETROIT – One person was shot Wednesday morning in an officer-involved shooting after a brief foot pursuit on Detroit’s east side.
According to police, a man in his early 30s was at a hotel on East Jefferson Avenue, near St. Aubin Street, and was acting erratically. The incident was labeled a non-priority call until multiple 911 calls were made telling authorities he was in possession of a gun. The incident was upgraded and officers were dispatched.
Officers made contact with the man who ran out of the hotel and into traffic.
Witnesses said the man jumped over vehicles and
"The man was screaming and yelling and he was running around, and they were trying to catch him," Barbara Dean said. "He was running down the sidewalk and in and out of the cars and they were chasing him."
Detroit police Chief James Craig said the man wouldn't take his hand's out of his pockets which kept officers on edge.
The man was hit by a civilian vehicle. When he stood up, he allegedly pulled out a gun and fired several shots.
Officers returned fire and the man was hit at least twice.
A gun and spent casings were recovered from the scene.
The suspect was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No officers were injured in the incident.
“This is what our officers deal with daily. We deal with individuals suffering from mental illness. I’ve been very vocal about the necessity to do something instead of talking about it,” Craig said. “This could have been a tragic outcome for so many people.”
Suspect known to police
Craig said the suspect was discharged from parole in 2014. He was incarcerated in 2005 for armed robbery.
In 2015, the man was arrested on a narcotics violation by the Michigan State Police and the case was subsequently dismissed.
The most recent contact police had with the man was about three weeks ago. He was arrested on a narcotics violation and resisted during that encounter, according to Craig. The case is pending.
Stay with Local 4 and ClickonDetroit.com as more information becomes available.