DETROIT – A man linked to the discovery of a body in February as well as a crime spree on Friday was shot by Detroit police officers Monday morning while trying to flee underneath a stopped train, the chief said.
Previous incidents linked to this case
Detroit police Chief James White said Monday’s shooting is linked to the discovery of a man who was killed in February.
That man’s body was found on the streets in Southwest Detroit, and police recovered DNA evidence at the scene.
White said police received a positive hit on that DNA evidence Monday morning (Oct. 10).
That same person was involved in a string of incidents Friday, according to White:
- He broke into a house and robbed its occupants at gunpoint.
- He fired shots into a house while driving a blue Chevrolet Equinox.
- Around 9:50 p.m. Friday, he shot into an occupied vehicle in the 10000 block of Flora Street, but nobody was injured.
Monday’s chase, shooting
White said officers were watching the man around 11:15 a.m. Monday at a location in the 100 block of Gates Street.
“The officers knew that he was violent, so as a result, they put the headquarter surveillance unit on him to track his whereabouts, at which time, he occupied a vehicle, left a home that they were surveilling, and took off from that location,” White said.
Police saw the blue Equinox leave and called for backup. The man fled, and officers were involved in a nine-minute chase that ended at the railroad tracks on Logan Street, near Central Avenue, in Southwest Detroit.
Residents said the SUV was chased down the street to where it dead-ends into railroad tracks. You can see video from a surveillance camera below:
The man got out of the SUV armed with a 9 mm weapon and an extended clip, White said. Video showed him running up a grassy hill toward the railroad tracks.
Officers followed the man on foot, ordering him to drop his weapon, White said.
“He gets to the train, turns, attempts to go under the train, which is stopped -- a train that is stationary -- goes under the train, and shots were fired,” White said. “He is armed. We recovered the 9 mm weapon, and we are now doing our investigation, as usual.”
The man is in critical condition at a nearby hospital. White said he is in surgery.
No officers were injured, and it’s unclear if the man fired any shots, according to the chief.
White said the man is a known gang member in Southwest Detroit.
Michigan State Police and Detroit officials are investigating. White said it’s unclear how many shots were fired by police.
Here’s White’s full briefing: