SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The man shot and killed by a Shelby Township officer was claiming to be armed and acting aggressively at the time of the shooting, according to police.
Officials said Kanwarbir Malhi, 25, was in a stolen car, ignored commands, said he had a gun and made violent gestures.
Shelby Township Police Chief Robert Shelide said the incident happened around 1 a.m. Saturday near the Spring Hill apartments at Ryan and Utica roads.
UPDATE March 9, 2021: Michigan AG’s office clears Shelby Township officer in 2018 fatal shooting of 25-year-old man
Malhi was allegedly driving a car he had stolen from his parents. They called police and reported the car stolen, officials said.
Officers on patrol overnight saw the stolen car and did what's called a "felony stop." Officers with backup gave loud verbal commands, so it wasn't an ordinary traffic stop, according to authorities.
Police said Malhi didn't listen to commands, eventually getting out of the car even though he was told to stay put. He said he had a gun and started making violent gestures, police said.
That's when an officer fired a shot, striking and killing Malhi, according to officials.
A weapon hasn't been found, but Shelide believes his officers feared for their lives.
"I always learned myself when somebody tells you something, tells you who they are, what they're about, believe them," Shelide said. "You have a guy coming out of the car telling four police officers who are pointing weapons at him, and he's telling them that he's armed and acting in such a way, well, the end result is very unfortunate."
Shelide said the officer who fired the shot has been involved with the department for 17 years and will remain on administrative leave until the Macomb County Sheriff's Office finishes its investigation.
Malhi has a lengthy history of dealing with police, mostly in Sterling Heights, police said. Officers were also called to help with a family dispute the day before the shooting.
You can watch Shelide’s full news conference here: