A tragic incident unfolded on Sunday evening in Saginaw, where a 33-year-old man, later identified as Corin Mitchell Skinner, died following an officer-involved shooting, a situation officials are calling a "suicide by cop." Saginaw police initially responded to a call around 7 p.m. in the 2100 block of Delaware Street after being informed of a man armed with a knife and threatening to provoke police into using deadly force against him, as detailed in reports from MLive and confirmed by ABC12.
Upon arrival at the scene, officers confronted Skinner, who was evidently in distress and not complying with verbal commands; the officers subsequently attempted to use Tasers, which proved ineffective leading the situation where officers, claiming self-defense, shot Skinner, as described by WNEM. Following the use of lethal force, police on scene attempted to deliver life-saving measures and called for medical support, although Skinner succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital no officers were reported injured during the incident, the details of which remain under state police investigation upon request from Saginaw Police Chief Robert Ruth for transparency in the matter.
In statements from Saginaw Deputy Chief Matthew Gerow, obtained by MLive, it was noted that officers tried to "defuse" the tense situation before the encounter escalated to the use of firearms; subsequently, life-saving measures and medical assistance were summoned, but were unable to prevent Skinner's death. Chief Ruth's request for an external review by the state police is a protocol aimed at ensuring a comprehensive and non-biased examination of the facts surrounding such critical incidents.
Following the regrettable outcome, three Saginaw police officers have been placed on administrative leave in line with the department's standard operating procedure an internal review will be conducted alongside the Michigan State Police's investigation it is not yet clear when the names of the officers involved will be released, but further details are expected as the investigation progresses, as mentioned in statements to ABC12.
