A 36-year-old Lincoln Park man who was shot by police in Allen Park during a mental-health crisis on Jan. 4 has admitted to assault with a dangerous weapon and is now set to learn his fate on July 15. The guilty plea came just as his jury trial was about to start yesterday, cutting short months of pretrial uncertainty over the officer-involved shooting.
What prosecutors say
According to ClickOnDetroit, prosecutors say Steven Strickland ran toward officers on Southfield Road near Roger Avenue while holding a box cutter and ignored repeated orders to drop it. Reporting from CBS Detroit says officers first used a Taser and fired less-lethal shotgun rounds before an officer ultimately fired his duty weapon, hitting Strickland in the arm.
Charges and records
The Wayne County inmate inquiry lists Strickland on a felonious-assault charge and shows multiple court dates since the Jan. 4 incident, according to the Wayne County inmate inquiry. Local reporting from WXYZ says Strickland was taken to a nearby hospital after the shooting.
Guilty plea and next steps
Prosecutors say Strickland pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and that a separate charge of assaulting a police officer was dropped as part of the deal, per ClickOnDetroit. The outlet reports Strickland is scheduled to be sentenced July 15, and that the Michigan State Police, which took over the probe, will submit a separate investigative report to prosecutors.
Legal note
Under Michigan law (MCL 750.82), assault with a dangerous weapon, also known as felonious assault, is a felony that can bring up to four years in prison or a fine in many cases. The guilty plea resolves the criminal case for now, but the state investigation and any administrative reviews of the shooting remain separate from whatever sentence the judge hands down in July.
