Detroit officer shoots, kills suspect who opened fire as police approached him near youth football practice at park

DETROIT (WWJ) — An investigation is underway on Detroit’s east side Tuesday night after a police officer shot and killed a suspect near a youth football practice.

The incident happened around 7:10 p.m. near Balduck Park, in the area of Chandler Park Drive and Canyon Street, according to Assistant Detroit Police Chief Charles Fitzgerald.

Officers on routine patrol in the area spotted a white man in his 30s who they recognized from a previous narcotics case, according to Fitzgerald. When the officers searched the man’s name in the Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN), they found he had a warrant for a parole violation.

When the officers got out of their patrol car to approach the man, the suspect pulled a gun out of his waistband and fired shots at the officers, Fitzgerald said.

One officer returned fire, hitting and killing the suspect. The officer thought he had been hit by the suspect’s fire, so his partner rushed him to the hospital. It turned out he had not been struck, Fitzgerald said.

No one else was injured and Fitzgerald said “we were very, very fortunate some of these kids did not get injured in a shootout.” He said he hopes the incident doesn’t deter parents and their kids from coming out.

“I would tell them to keep coming out here with their kids and keep practicing. I’m sure it’s gonna be a long season for them,” he said during a briefing near the scene Tuesday night.

“The officers are out here for that very reason. They’re out here trying to keep everyone safe. They’re doing routine patrol, they happened to notice this guy, they know him from a previous encounter, they try to do an encounter on him, and this is where we’re at,” Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald said the suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene when EMS arrived, has a lengthy criminal history, but he did not provide specifics.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 for the latest details as they become available. >>> LISTEN LIVE!

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