LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has agreed to revisit a 2018 case in which a Michigan police officer shot and killed a man.
On Nov. 3, 2018 a Shelby Township police officer shot and killed 25-year-old Kanwarbir Malhi, who was allegedly armed and acting aggressively toward police.
Officials say Malhi, of Shelby Township, had stolen a car from his parents, who called police to report the theft. Police located the vehicle in the parking lot of the Spring Lane 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 stopped by police at about 1 a.m. during what is called a “felony stop,” or a “high risk” traffic stop used when police believe the driver of the vehicle has committed a serious crime or is armed. Officials said officers approached with backup and gave loud verbal commands, so it wasn’t an ordinary traffic stop.
Police say Malhi did not comply with the officers’ commands. The 25-year-old allegedly exited the vehicle, said he had a gun and started making violent gestures when police told him not to move, officials said.
Shelby Township police say an officer fired his weapon at Malhi to stop the man’s “aggressive action” in response to his noncompliance.
Malhi suffered a single gunshot wound and was treated on the scene and then later transported to Troy Beaumont Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Shelby Township Police Chief Robert Shelide said he believes his officers feared for their lives.
Police did not originally find a gun belonging to Malhi.
Officials said the officer who fired the shot has been involved with the department for 17 years.
Malhi reportedly had a lengthy history of dealing with police, mostly in Sterling Heights, according to officials. Officers were also called to help with a family dispute the day before the shooting.
The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office conducted an investigation and presented its findings to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, who did not file charges against the officers involved.
The sheriff’s office says they have recently received inquiries into the 2018 investigation. Michigan AG Nessel said Thursday that she will review the case.
“As Attorney General I have consistently advocated for a thorough, comprehensive and objective review of all officer-involved shootings, particularly those which result in fatalities,” Nessel said Thursday. “This matter will receive an exhaustive review and analysis with an impartial lens and, when completed, our department is committed to transparency in our decision-making process, irrespective of the outcome. Justice demands nothing less.”
Inquiries into the shooting of Malhi come as the nation decries police brutality and racism following recent killings of Black Americans and other minorities at the hands of police officers.
Movements and protests demanding change were reignited when a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd in May, and have continued across the country for nearly two months.
Though U.S. protests have been largely peaceful in recent weeks, situations are escalating in some parts of the country -- specifically in Chicago and Portland, Oregon.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy federal agents into numerous major cities -- including Detroit -- and has already sent some to Portland and Chicago. Protesters in Portland have already been facing off with federal agents over the last few days, and tensions are rising in Chicago.
The White House released on Wednesday that federal agents are expected to be sent to Detroit over the next three weeks.
More: President Trump announces plan to send federal agents to Detroit to ‘quell recent violence’