TAYLOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — Taylor police say a man shot by officers Monday may be connected to a number of armed robberies across state lines, as new cellphone video and exclusive photos provide a clearer picture of what happened in the moments before officers opened fire.
Cellphone video, given to 7 News Detroit by a witness, shows the exact moment four Taylor police officers opened fire on the suspect, who was wanted for an armed robbery at a Dollar Tree in the Cleveland area.
Watch Carli Petrus' video report below:
Chief John Blair says as officers moved in to arrest the suspect, he cracked open the door of the U-Haul he was driving and pointed a handgun directly at them.
"What we're sharing with you is a quick view of the weapon being pointed directly at our officers," Blair said.
Taylor police shared exclusive photos with 7 News Detroit showing the moment they say the man drew his weapon, along with another image showing the gun on the floorboard after the shooting.
"Fortunately, we were able to take this person into custody and remove him from the streets," Blair said.
Previous report: Armed suspect wanted for Ohio robbery shot by Taylor police at Sheetz
A woman was in the U-Haul with the suspect at the time of the shooting. Police say she was taken to the police station but released that same day. Her information led investigators to a nearby Red Roof Inn, where they found two women, eight children and evidence they believe links the group to the Ohio robbery and possibly others.
"We identified who was there. We did recover some evidence that we believe links them to the crime in Cleveland and potentially some others," Blair said.
Taylor police are now working with law enforcement agencies out of state, as they believe the suspect could be involved in more armed robberies.
"Typically, you don't commit one armed robbery — it's very rare. There's always usually a string of them or a number of them and knowing that he committed this armed robbery down in Cleveland, we believe there could be others in the area. So we are working with the Cleveland Police Department as well as the FBI in Ohio to see if there's other crimes because that's very typical and we believe we're headed in the right direction with this," Blair said.
The suspect remains in the hospital in stable condition. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office will be reviewing the case for possible charges.
————-
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
