(PresidentialHill.com)- Last week, an armed suspect was shot and killed by Michigan State Police (MSP) when he fired at officers responding to a report that he was shining a laser and firing shots at a state police helicopter overhead, WXYZ in Detroit reported.
The suspect was holed up on the second floor of an abandoned home on Detroit’s west side last Wednesday shining a laser in the cockpit of the State Police helicopter, Trooper 2. According to the MSP, the armed suspect also fired shots at the helicopter, but it was not hit in the incident.
When the MSP determined where the laser was coming from, troopers on the ground responded to the location. The suspect then fired at the troopers who returned fire, killing the man.
MSP Lieutenant Michael Shaw said the team cleared the house and found multiple weapons and ammunition inside, “as if it was set up for some sort of ambush or security purposes.”
A joint homicide task force is handling the investigation into the incident.
The suspect was identified as a 33-year-old man from Lincoln Park. According to the MSP, he was staying in the abandoned home. A total of six firearms were recovered at the scene, one on the suspect along with five others. There was no one else inside the home at the time of the incident.
Police have not identified a motive.
The two troopers involved in the shooting have not been named. They were only identified as a 2-year veteran and a 9-year veteran of the Michigan State Police. Both are on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Once the joint homicide task force has completed its investigation into the incident, the findings will be presented to the prosecutor for review.
According to Lt. Shaw, shining lasers at pilots is not uncommon. He said there have been incidents where people shined lasers at aircraft landing at Metro Airport. He warned those who think it’s a joke that it could “potentially” bring down an aircraft.
