(CBS DETROIT) – Interim Police Chief Todd Bettison announced Wednesday that an officer who responded to a block party in June has been placed on no-weapon status after an investigation revealed she injured two bystanders in the process.
On June 1, officers responded to the 16500 block of Trinity after multiple 911 calls reported multiple shots fired in the area. Bettison says the female officer encountered two assailants and fired approximately five shots, striking two women, ages 20 and 23, who were unintended targets. One of the attackers was also shot by the officer. This individual has not yet been charged, but is still under investigation.
All three people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the interim chief said.
Bettison says a warrant will be filed with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, which is routine in all shooting cases involving DPD officers. The officer, who has been with DPD for about eight years, was placed on administrative duty after the department received information about 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 sheer distress,” Bettison told reporters on Wednesday.
Police received 911 calls sometime before 1:50 a.m. June 1 about a shooting near 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 found 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 had a gun with him. He says the officers were on the scene for less than a minute.
“Decisions had to be made in a split second. Offices had to deal with the armed attacker among the innocent partygoers,” he said.
An investigation is underway.
