Man fatally shot by Detroit police during traffic stop; officer dragged 20 yards

Detroit police have fatally shot a man who they say dragged an officer with his car as he tried to flee a traffic stop.

The Detroit Police Department said that its gang intelligence unit pulled the man over on the city's west side around 10:15 p.m. Wednesday.

The man refused to hand over his ID and tried to drive off, and that's when an officer reached into the car with his leg and stepped on the brake pedal, assistant police Chief Charles Fitzgerald said. The officer's attempt to stop the car didn't work and he was dragged about 20 yards, Fitzgerald said.

The officer's partner entered the struggle by attempting to deploy a Taser, which, according to Fitzgerald, did not take. The driver put the vehicle in reverse, Fitzgerald said, and the officer was dragged again as the man drove backwards.

The officer who was dragged then fired two shots at the driver, hitting him in the upper chest, police said.

The driver, whose name was not released, was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The officer who was dragged was being treated at a hospital.

Gun, narcotics recovered from vehicle

The Detroit Police said that a Glock ghost gun with an extended magazine and equipped with a switch was recovered from the front driver’s side floorboard along with a large amount of drugs, including oxycodone, crack cocaine, ecstasy, promethazine, marijuana, a scale and cash.

Ghost guns have no serial number and are unregulated and untraceable.

Fitzgerald said the weapon had a Glock switch, which transforms semi-automatic guns into fully automatic firearms.

"I say that to say that if he pulled the trigger on the officers, 15 rounds come out quickly," Fitzgerald told reporters. "You can do a lot of damage. It's terrifying."

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Preliminary investigation

The vehicle's passenger was taken into custody for questioning and has since been released, said the police.

The driver had been out on bond for felony receiving and concealing a stolen vehicle and felony carrying a concealed weapon, violating the law as he was not allowed to have a weapon as part of his bond conditions.

Officer sent on administrative leave

Body camera footage should be released within 45 days on YouTube, per Detroit Police Chief James White's recent commitment to routinely release footage of police shootings and other critical incidents within that time frame.

The Detroit Police Board of Commissioners is pushing the Detroit Police Department to release footage within 12 days under a similar recommendation. The board drafted a city ordinance that will be proposed to city council.

The officer involved in the incident will also be placed on administrative leave, per department policy.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.