DELTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The Eaton County Sheriff’s Office released footage from a deputy’s body camera that shows her shooting a wanted stabbing suspect in Delta Township on Tuesday morning.
The altercation occurred during a traffic stop after the suspect fled the scene of a stabbing in Dimondale.
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Update: The video, previously shared by the county sheriff’s office on Facebook, has been taken down.
The released video showed a part of the moment when a deputy with the Eaton County Sheriff’s Department conducted a traffic stop of the wanted man, Sean Ruis, 43, of Grand Ledge, after he fled the scene of a stabbing.
Ruis’ vehicle was identified by the deputy at 7:13 a.m. on Jerryson Drive in Delta Township following the stabbing, officials said.
During the traffic stop, Ruis got out of his vehicle and began advancing toward the deputy. Partial footage from the released video showed Ruis walking away from his car and approaching the deputy as she attempted to back away.
Ruis approached the deputy at an increasing speed with weapons in his hands. Eaton County Sheriff Tom Reiche said Ruis appeared to be carrying three weapons as he approached the deputy: one screwdriver in his left hand and two knives in his right hand.
A still image of the Eaton County deputy’s bodycam footage (below) shows the weapons in Ruis’ hands as he attacks the deputy.
Following the moment after the above still was taken, the deputy increased distance between her and Ruis and then fired her weapon at him multiple times as he continued to advance toward her.
The exact number of shots fired was not shared by police and could not be determined by the partial footage, but multiple shots could be heard in the video.
After multiple shots were fired Ruis could be seen grabbing his sides and yelling in pain as he fell to the ground. It could not be inferred from the video how many times Ruis was shot or where on his body that he sustained injuries.
Ruis was transported to the hospital after the altercation and died during surgery, medical officials said.
Officials said the deputy, a 23-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, feared for her life during the incident. She was not injured.
“(It is) very unfortunate that she had to use her weapon, but she saved her life,” Sheriff Reich said of the deputy. “That’s the most important thing here.”
The deputy is on administrative leave while the incident is being investigated, which is standard procedure when an officer is involved in a shooting, officials said.
Police say Ruis was fleeing the scene of a stabbing that happened about a half hour prior at a Quality Dairy store in Dimondale.
At about 6:47 a.m. on Tuesday, Ruis stabbed a 77-year-old Lansing man during an argument over Ruis’ refusal to wear a mask in the store. Officials say Ruis was also denied service by store employees for failing to comply with the state’s new mask requirements.
Police say Ruis stabbed the Lansing man and the fled the store. The 77-year-old man was previously reported in stable condition, but the Sheriff Reiche says he believes the victim is in serious condition as of 4 p.m. Tuesday. He said he was not aware of an update regarding the victim’s condition at that time.
“Our thoughts and prayers are for the full recovery of the victim who was stabbed at the Quality Dairy and for his family, and are with our Deputy who was subsequently violently attacked,” Sheriff Reich said in a press release. “They are also with the family of Mr. Ruis who was killed in this senseless, tragic incident.”
The investigation is ongoing and has been turned over to the Michigan State Police. Officials say an internal review will also be conducted.