DETROIT – An investigation is underway to determine if a juvenile who was shot during a Detroit police pursuit was shot by an officer.
Five people were arrested and four firearms were recovered after Detroit police officers chased a vehicle suspected of being involved in gunfire at O’Hair Park.
At 2:37 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, officers were called to the area of Grandville and Trojan avenues for reports of a man shooting at people inside O’Hair Park.
Police later learned that the man involved in the reported shooting was in a gray Jeep Cherokee and that a second person was also seen in a second Jeep Cherokee. Officers searching the area located a gray Jeep Cherokee that matched the description and attempted a traffic stop. The Jeep did not stop and police chased the vehicle for several minutes.
At 3:10 p.m., an officer responding to the pursuit pulled up to the area of West 7 Mile Road and Bentler Street. Police said video from the area shows that the officer fired at least one round as the Jeep headed toward him. Someone inside the vehicle raised an AR-style long gun outside of the window before the officer fired his weapon, according to police. After the officer fired his weapon, the vehicle continued to flee at a high rate of speed around the officer’s scout car.
The chase continued for several more blocks and came to a stop after the vehicle got a flat tire. The people inside the vehicle tried to run away on foot.
Five people were arrested. One person in the vehicle, who is under the age of 18, was shot in the lower leg and transported to an area hospital. They were treated and have since been released from the hospital.
One of the Jeep Cherokees involved was reported stolen. Officers have located four firearms, including one AR-style long gun and one AR-style pistol, according to Detroit police.
An investigation is underway to determine if the person who was shot was shot by the officer who opened fire or if they were injured in a prior shooting. Detroit police are considering this an officer-involved shooting while the investigation continues. The case has been turned over to the Homicide Task Force and Michigan State Police will take the lead.
The Detroit Police Department’s Professional Standards Bureau will be investigating the administrative aspects of the case to determine if any policies were violated.
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