KENT COUNTY, Mich. — A Kent County Sheriff’s deputy was involved in a shooting incident early Friday morning in Cascade Township.
According to Public Information Officer Eric Brunner, the deputy discharged a firearm while investigating an earlier traffic crash.
Two officers were riding to the scene together in the same patrol vehicle, police say. One of the officers was in field training and had been employed by the Sheriff's Office for around two months, but previously had eight years of law enforcement experience at another agency.
The Kent County Sheriff’s Office says the related traffic crash happened around 1:48 a.m., when a vehicle crashed into a power pole on 36th Street just east of Patterson Avenue. The stuck pole was reportedly leaning over the roadway with live wires.
Authorities say the driver is a 51-year-old man from Grand Rapids, and he is believed to have fallen asleep at the wheel. The man was not injured in the crash.
Around 2:40 a.m., the deputy in training discharged two handgun rounds toward the car that crashed. Police say no one was in the car at the time and no one was injured.
The situation that led to the officer drawing and firing his weapon is still under investigation. Body camera footage is under review by investigators.
The involved deputy has been placed on administrative leave and the circumstances are being investigated by the Wyoming Department of Public Safety.
Wyoming detectives were on scene collecting evidence, interviews and looking for witnesses.
The roadway is now reopened. Once the investigation is over, the case will be handled by the Kent County Prosecutor's Office.
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