BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Both a police officer and a suspect were hospitalized Wednesday after an officer-involved shooting in the city of Benton Harbor, according to Michigan State Police.
Investigators say it started around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday when a member of MSP's 5th District and an officer with the Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety pulled over a car in the 1300 block of Monroe.
During the traffic stop, police realized the driver had a federal warrant out for their arrest for skipping out on parole.
State police say the driver refused to get out of their car then backed up abruptly and hit the Benton Harbor officer, hurting their leg.
That’s when the trooper fired his gun, hitting the suspect twice, “which stopped this deadly force action,” according to state police.
Both the suspect and the Benton Harbor officer were hospitalized with nonlife-threatening injuries.
The suspect had been released from the hospital and taken to jail, as of about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, while the officer remained stable in the hospital.
Now, MSP’s 6th District Investigative Response Team is leading the investigation into the officer-involved shooting, while MSP’s Grand Rapids lab will process the scene.
The state police member who fired his gun has been placed on administrative leave, per protocol.
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