GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Wyoming police are investigating after they say a Kent County deputy undergoing field training fired two rounds from a handgun towards an unoccupied vehicle during a crash investigation.
The Wyoming Department of Public Safety says it all started just before 2 a.m. Friday morning when two deputies with the Kent County Sheriff’s Office were called to the scene of a crash on 36th Street, just east of Patterson Avenue, in Cascade Township.
One of the responding deputies was in field training and the other deputy was a field training officer.
When the deputies arrived at the scene, they found a car had hit a power pole and the pole was leaning over the road with live wires attached to it. The department says it is believed the driver fell asleep at the wheel and hit the pole. The driver was not injured.
Deputies started collecting information for the crash investigation and report.
According to the Wyoming Department of Public Safety, at 2:40 a.m. the deputy being trained fired two shots towards the crashed vehicle.
Police say no one was in the vehicle at the time and no one was injured. Wyoming police say the circumstances leading up to the deputy drawing and firing the gun are being investigated.
Police say the deputy responsible for firing the gun has been working for the Kent County Sheriff’s Office since January 2022. Prior to joining the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, the deputy had eight years of law enforcement experience at a different agency.
The Kent County Sheriff’s Office requested detectives from the Wyoming Department of Public Safety investigate the incident as part of its policy.
Wyoming police say body cameras worn by both deputies will be reviewed by detectives.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to call Wyoming police at 616-530-7300 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.
