KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A man accused of a Kalamazoo shooting incident last week is dead after a lengthy standoff. Involved officers were placed on administrative leave.
Authorities were searching for Alex Rawls, a 35-year-old Kalamazoo man who was suspected of shooting a woman five times on Ransom Street. Rawls had multiple previous charges.
Investigators learned the suspect was at a home in the 1500 block of Washington Monday morning.
Around 10:45 a.m. Monday, police showed up at the house and a standoff began. Rawls was barricaded in the home for over 16 hours. The situation was over on Tuesday around 3 a.m.
During this time, Rawls fired numerous rounds at police. No officers were hit or injured, but a round struck a shed where an officer was positioned and 2 rounds struck the windshield of a SWAT vehicle where an officer was in the driver's seat, Michigan State Police say.
The Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office returned shots. Officers later learned the suspect was hit an undetermined amount of times.
Officers then used a drone to survey the house to ensure their safety when entering the home.
They determined the threat was neutralized and entered the home to find Rawls deceased on the second floor.
An autopsy and toxicology report was completed, as well as as a 'thorough investigation," MSP says.
The incident was then forwarded to the Kalamazoo County prosecutor’s office for independent review.
The 2 involved officers were placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation per department policy, officials say.
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