Detroit police officer wounds 2 bystanders while responding to June block party shooting, interim chief says
(CBS DETROIT) - Interim Police Chief Todd Bettison announced on Wednesday that an officer who responded to a block party in June has been placed on "no-gun status" after an investigation determined she wounded two bystanders in the process.
On June 1, officers responded to the 16500 block of Trinity after multiple 911 calls reported multiple shots in the area. Bettison says the female officer encountered two assailants and fired about five shots, hitting two women, ages 20 and 23, who were unintended targets. One of the assailants was also shot by the officer. That person has not been charged but is still under investigation.
All three people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the interim chief says.
Bettison says a warrant request will be submitted to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, which is routine in any of DPD's officer-involved shooting cases. The officer, who has been with DPD for about eight years, was placed on administrative duty after the department received information on ballistic evidence on Monday.
"To say the officers' approach was dangerous would be an understatement, meaning the scene was chaotic. The scene was loud. People were screaming, some were in pure distress," Bettison told reporters on Wednesday.
Police received 911 calls sometime before 1:50 a.m. on June 1 about a shooting in the area of Trinity and Florence streets.
Bettison says patrol officers were conducting a traffic stop a few blocks away when they heard the gunshots and were notified of the 911 calls. Police recovered eight firearms and 93 shell casings at the scene.
Bettison says two armed assailants had a handgun and an AR-style rifle. The suspect who was shot by the officer was carrying a handgun. He says the officers were on the scene for less than a minute.
"Split-second decisions had to be made. Offices were left to deal with the armed assailant standing amongst innocent partygoers," he said.
An investigation is ongoing.