A man wanted in connection with a domestic assault in northern Michigan was shot and killed by state police after a confrontation in the woods, authorities report. The 35-year-old Fife Lake man, whose identity has not been released, was the subject of a manhunt that ended in an officer-involved shooting, according to a Michigan State Police news release obtained by The Detroit News.
The incident began Saturday when Kalkaska County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call about a domestic assault on Ingersol Road. Fleeing before law enforcement arrived, the suspect was later spotted on a neighbor's trail camera approximately one mile away, reported abc12. A conservation officer and a sheriff's deputy spotted the man running into the woods, seeking cover taken upon hearing gunfire, while attempting to approach a trailer the suspect was believed to have broken into.
An Emergency Services Team from the Michigan State Police later tracked the suspect to an enclosed tree stand where a confrontation ensued. Police, after hearing gunfire, shot the man who was armed in the tree stand, which resulted from their investigation led by officials from the Grayling Post and Sixth District headquarters. "The suspect exited the trailer and fired a gun into the air. The neighbor left and contacted police," the initial report detailed the events leading up to the final confrontation per The Detroit News.
Following the shooting, a drone was used to confirm the suspect was deceased, before retrieving a loaded gun found under his body inside the tree stand. An autopsy was scheduled for Monday, as part of the ongoing investigation into the shooting. As part of standard procedure, all officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation is underway, abc12 confirmed in their reporting.
State Police are continuing their investigation and have not yet provided further details about the suspect or the circumstances of the initial domestic assault complaint, as indicated by coverage from MLive.
