SOUTHGATE, Mich. – A man suspected of shoplifting at a Southgate Meijer died after he was shot by a police officer when he allegedly confronted officers with a “sharp instrument”.
Southgate Police Chief Mark Mydlarz said officers were dispatched to the Meijer store at about 3:45 p.m. on Saturday (June 27) for a reported retail fraud in progress.
When officers arrived, they confronted two people suspected of shoplifting.
“One of our officers fired at least one round, striking the male subject,” Mydlarz said.
Officers said they immediately rendered life-saving aid before the man was transported to a Metro Detroit hospital, where he later died from his injuries, Mydlarz said.
A woman who was with the man was taken into custody and remained in police custody Saturday evening. Mydlarz said he did not know the relationship between the two suspects.
No officers were injured during the incident.
The Michigan State Police has taken over the investigation, which is standard procedure.
The officer who fired the shot has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Mydlarz declined to answer additional questions about the incident, including whether the confrontation was captured on video, citing the ongoing investigation.
The shooting occurred as Southgate hosted the annual Downriver Cruise, a popular community event that drew large crowds to the area.
“There is a lot going on today,” Mydlarz said, noting the department had increased staffing because of the event. “We were fortunate because we had all this manpower, and that we were able to kind of quickly contain this.”
Michigan State Police is continuing the investigation.
The identities of the deceased man and the officer involved have not been released.
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