Detroit police officer was dragged by fleeing driver before firing round and fatally killing suspect: DPD

DETROIT (WWJ) - A traffic stop on Detroit's escalated into a deadly confrontation after a suspect was shot and killed by a police officer overnight, officials confirmed.

The Detroit Police Department Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald said the confrontation occurred on Wednesday, December 20th, at 10:15 p.m. on Fenkell Avenue and the Southfield Service Drive when officers saw the driver of a white SUV that fail to use a turn signal.

"When they encountered the driver, he does not have a license." Fitzgerald said an overnight briefing. "They asked him from the vehicle and that's when the first struggle ensued."

According to the assistant chief, the suspect tried to flee the scene when the officer instinctively reached his leg into the vehicle and stepped on the brake in an effort to stop the SUV.

"He was dragged about 20 yards," Fitzgerald said, stating the officer's partner came up along the side of the vehicle at one point during the struggle and tried to deploy his taser, but it didn't take effect.

WWJ's Charlie Langton reported that's when the suspect threw the vehicle in reserve and dragged the officer another 20 feet backwards.

"The officer fearing for his life, he fires a round at driver, hitting him in the chest," Langton said.

The suspect was rushed to a Metro Detroit hospital, but was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Police confirmed there was a passenger, identified as a male resident of Detroit, inside the vehicle during the struggle. That passenger was arrested and will undergo questioning.

No information about the deceased suspect was released.

The department said prior to the skirmish, officers noticed a Glock on the vehicle's floorboard, which was later recovered and found to have been outfitted with an extended magazine and a Glock switch.

A Glock switch is a modifier that allows a semi-automatic gun to fire without repeatedly pulling the trigger -- they are illegal unless the guns that they are installed on are possessed by someone with a federal firearms license, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

"If he pulled the trigger one time on the officers, 15 rounds would've come out quickly," Fitzgerald said of the firearm. "... you put that in the wrong hands and unfortunately it may have been in the wrong hands tonight. You pull that trigger, it squeezes off a lot of rounds really fast, you can do a lot damage. It's terrifying."

Police said marijuana packaged for sale was also recovered from the vehicle.

The police officer who fired the round was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, Langton reported.

"We should get more information today about the suspect and what he was doing there," Langton added.

Fitzgerald said that there were a number of Project Green Light cameras in the area as well as body camera footage for detectives to review. More information is expected to be released on Friday.

Fitzgerald said the struggle lasted less than a minute.

"It was quick, but lot was happening," he added.