Crime
VIDEO: Michigan man killed after pointing laser, firing at police helicopter
“We got somebody hitting us with a green laser on the rear of the house, upper window,” the helicopter pilot can be heard saying in a video
January 27, 2023 6:51pm
Updated: January 27, 2023 6:51pm
A Michigan man was fatally shot by state police officers on Tuesday after he pointed a laser and opened fire at a police helicopter.
The helicopter was circling north of downtown Detroit at around 8:30 p.m. when the 33-year-old man shot at the helicopter, according to the police. The man, whose name has not yet been released, was shot and killed by two state troopers.
The suspect had moved into an abandoned home with his dog at the time of the shooting, according to a neighbor. During the incident, the man pointed a green laser at the aircraft from the second-story window of the home.
“We got somebody hitting us with a green laser on the rear of the house, upper window,” the helicopter pilot can be heard saying in a video of the incident shared by the Michigan State Police.
The suspect then exited the house, aimed a rifle at the helicopter, and started shooting.
“Now there’s somebody standing at the back door. Right now, they’re in the backyard,” the pilot said. “He actually might, he might be armed. He almost looks like he’s holding a long gun pointed at us right now. Yeah, he’s shooting at us right now. He’s firing rounds. He’s got a long gun, extended magazine.”
VIDEO: Michigan State Police released a video of a man pointing a laser at a police helicopter and firing a rifle before troopers on the ground shot and killed him. https://t.co/XT8vJ92mER pic.twitter.com/x578kmGsJZ
— FoxNashville (@FOXNashville) January 27, 2023
Police conducted a search of the abandoned home after the incident and recovered six firearms, including the one used to shoot at the helicopter.
“They found multiple weapons and ammunition stashes throughout the home as if it were set up for some type of ambush or security purposes or whatever,” Lt. Mike Shaw said according to Fox 2 Detroit.
Police do not yet know the motive for the attack and have opened an investigation into the incident.
"If the pilot had been blinded and crashed into this neighborhood, it would have been a lot worse," he added.
