DETROIT – A 31-year-old man has been hospitalized after being shot by Detroit police officers inside a gas station on the city’s east side.
Police said the victim was struck multiple times at 7 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 30) inside a BP gas station between Harper and Gratiot avenues.
“They (police officers) observed an individual in the gas station who was engaged in some suspicious behavior. The officers approached the individual, talked to him,” assistant Detroit police chief David LeValley said.
LeValley said the officers said the 31-year-old man was rolling cannabis in a cigar wrapper. When the officers walked up to the man, the tried to leave.
That’s when police said the officers and the suspect got into a physical altercation.
“As he broke free from the officers he produced the handgun from his waistband. Two officers fired shots, multiple shots at the individual,” LeValley said.
LeValley said he believes seven shots were fired at the 31-year-old. This is the third police-involved shooting in recent weeks.
“You know, I don’t know what motivates individuals necessarily to do what they do, but we do see a lot more firearms on the street than we ever have in the past. So officers are forced to deal with that,” LeValley said.
Emergency crews transported the 31-year-old to the hospital. He is listed in temporary serious condition.
Read: More local crime coverage