Suspect fatally shot after police pursuit in Macomb County
A suspect was fatally shot Thursday after a police pursuit in Macomb County.
According to the Macomb County Sheriff's Office, the incident began around 12:02 p.m. when deputies contacted the suspect at 26 Mile Road and Gratiot Avenue.
Chesterfield Township police had told the sheriff's office that the suspect was wanted in connection with a felonious assault and fleeing and eluding and was believed to be armed and possibly experiencing an altered mental state.
The suspect did not comply with deputies' commands and backed his vehicle into a patrol motorcycle, according to the sheriff's office. One deputy discharged a firearm during the encounter.
The suspect then fled west on 26 Mile Road, and deputies pursued him. A short time later, he stopped in the roadway and exited while armed with a weapon.
The sheriff's office said the suspect charged toward deputies, and one deputy discharged a firearm. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation was turned over to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office in accordance with standard protocol.
When can a police shooting raise a civil rights claim?
A police shooting can raise a federal civil rights claim when the available facts show that an officer acting under color of state law deprived someone of a constitutional right.
For force used during an arrest, investigatory stop or other seizure, courts generally apply the Fourth Amendment's objective reasonableness standard. Under Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386 (1989), courts consider the circumstances known to the officer at the time, including the severity of the suspected offense, whether there was an immediate threat and whether the person was resisting or trying to flee.
A Michigan Police Brutality Claims overview explains why body camera or dash camera video, dispatch audio, use of force records and witness accounts may matter when evaluating a possible excessive-force claim. Whether a civil claim exists depends on the full evidence, the parties involved, available defenses and applicable deadlines.
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If you or a family member was injured during a police encounter, or if a family member died during one, contact Michigan Legal Center to ask whether the circumstances may warrant a civil-rights or police-misconduct review.
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