SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — A deadly shooting involving a Shelby Township police officer earlier this month was deemed justified, the Macomb County Sheriff's Office and Prosecutor's Office announced on Thursday.
The situation stems from a shooting on June 3, where a 41-year-old Troy man, identified as Thomas Jackson, was shot and killed by Shelby Township police officers.
Hear from the sheriff and the prosecutor in the video below
According to Macomb County Sheriff Tony Wickersham, officers pulled over Jackson in the area of 22 Mile and Van Dyke. He got out of the car and took off.
See bodycam video below of the shooting (WARNING: It is graphic and violent)
Officers gave chase and gave the suspect verbal commands to stop before tasing him twice, but the taser was ineffective, police said.
Jackson pulled out a handgun and continued to run, according to the sheriff's office, and Jackson was ordered to drop the gun. The officer fired eight shots, hitting Jackson five times, police said.
According to the sheriff's office, Jackson had a 9mm Ruger pistol in his possession that was reported stolen out of Detroit. Wickersham also said he had a suspended license and several valid warrants for his arrest, a lot of them related to traffic offenses and failure to appear in several cities and townships.
Watch our report from the scene on June 3 in the video below
Watch Chopper 7 video of the scene below:
After the investigation by the Macomb County Sheriff's Office, it was forwarded to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office for review.
Prosecutor Peter Lucido said that his office determined the shooting to be valid. When asked why it was deemed justified, Lucido said, "You have to look at the reason as it relates to once the stop has been made, why did he get out of the car and run. Also, once there's a gun involved, there's a lethal duty to protect all others around and the officers around.
"All he had to do was drop to the ground and obey the command of the officer," Lucido added.
The sheriff and the prosecutor said they did sit down with Jackson's family and their attorney before the press conference.
"This type of incident is hard for everybody involved, the officers involved and the family," Wickersham said.
