DETROIT (WWJ) – At least four Detroit police officers have reportedly been placed on administrative leave after the fatal shooting of a man who was having a mental health crisis early Sunday morning.
The officers involved in the shooting will remain on paid leave, pending the outcome of an internal investigation, according to a report from The Detroit News.
Detroit police have not released many new details since a press briefing after the shooting on Sunday morning in the area of Snowden and Lyndon, near Schaefer and Fenkell on the city's west side.
Officials did not release the victim's name on Sunday, but multiple reports say 20-year-old Porter Burks was the man who was killed.
Authorities said Sunday officers were called to the scene around 5 a.m. on the report of a man having a mental health crisis and wielding a knife. Police Chief James White said there was "some sort of resistance" after officers found him and spoke with him. An officer deployed a taser, but it was unsuccessful and officers eventually turned to deadly force.
A report from WDIV in Detroit Sunday said Burks allegedly continued to attack officers after the taser was deployed. Authorities have not released any details about what caused officers to fire their weapons, but White said investigators were "looking into whether or not he charged the officers, whether or not he attempted to stab the officers."
"My condolences to the suspect's family. Any time the department has to use fatal force, that's not our desired outcome," White said.
The News reported Southfield attorney Geoffrey Fieger said in a Monday press release he is representing the family of Burks, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to the Detroit Free Press.
In Fieger's press release, the attorney said his team is "working hard to understand how and why a mentally ill citizen, whose family called for help, was tased and then reportedly shot over 30 times," according to The News.
It was not clear how many times Burks was shot or how many officers fired their weapons.
Detroit police are scheduled to hold a press conference at 3 p.m. Tuesday, according to The News.
More on today's top stories:
