Man who drove through Detroit crime scene shooting at officer shot dead
A man who drove through a chaotic Detroit crime scene shooting a gun early Monday morning was later shot dead by officers, according to police.
Detroit police were called to the city's west side at about 10:50 p.m. Sunday on reports of five people shot, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said during a Monday press conference. The shooting victims, ranging in age from 18 to 36, all survived.
Investigators believe that as the suspects fled the scene in a vehicle, they struck another car, killing one man and leaving another person in critical condition.
As police were investigating the shooting and crash, a man drove through the blocked-off crime scene at about 2:40 a.m., fired one shot at an officer and then took off, striking two parked police vehicles with his car, Craig said.
Police pursued the man across town, Craig said. At one point, he said, the suspect and police were on a freeway, and the man was driving more than 100 mph.
The man posed "extreme danger to our community and our officers," Craig said. "This was a suspect that we had to apprehend."
The suspect eventually damaged his vehicle and came to a stop, at which point he exited the vehicle shooting at police and then ran, Craig said.
When officers caught up with him, he pointed his gun at them again, and officers fired their weapons at him, according to police.
The 27-year-old suspect, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
A Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol was recovered at the scene, Craig said.
The suspect had no connection to the original shooting and crash, Craig said.
The suspect had a very limited criminal history "and so we’re trying to figure out what would be the motive in an unprovoked way to attack Detroit police officers for no apparent reason."
The man's mother told police that he lost a 21-year-old friend over the weekend during a shooting incident and his 6-month-old cousin had passed away a month ago.
On Facebook, before the incident with police, the suspect wrote "I'm hurt man," Craig said.
