GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker will not seek charges against three officers with the Grand Rapids Police Department who were involved in a deadly shootout last month.
Becker issued his decision on Monday, ruling the officers actions were justified.
The incident happened Saturday, December 6 at approximately 4:45 p.m. along Tremont Boulevard on the city's west side.
Investigators say the officers pulled over the suspect, 51-year-old Martin Martinez-Salazar, who then opened his car door and started shooting at them. GRPD later released video from the officers' body and dash cameras showing Martinez-Salazar was first to fire.
VIEWER DISCRETION: Body camera footage shows deadly officer-involved shooting
Martinez-Salazar was stopped by police on December 6 after a woman reported a domestic incident involving a weapon to police. New information released by Becker indicates that the woman was Martinez-Salazar’s wife.
Becker says police first tried to contact Martinez-Salazar at the couple's home. They were able to speak with him over the phone but he would not answer the door for them, so the officers left, but maintained a presence near the home. Officers Caviness and Teninty were in a fully marked GRPD cruiser when they observed Martinez-Salazar drive by them on 4th Street. Becker says both officers were aware of the situation and were among the officers who tried to contact Martinez-Salazar at his home.
The officers decided to conduct a traffic stop. Becker says Martinez-Salazar did not initially pull over, and continued at a slow speed until he finally came to a stop along Tremont Boulevard. During that time, Officer Borta had joined them and the two cruisers were following closely behind Martinez-Salazar's car on the road. Becker says the officers told Martinez-Salazar to turn his vehicle off and exit his vehicle. Video of the incident shows when Martinez-Salazar opened his door, he was holding a handgun and immediately started shooting at officers, who returned fire. Martinez-Salazar was struck several times and died from a gunshot wound.
Becker concludes that “the officers were also justified in attempting to stop Martinez-Salazar as he drove away from his home; they had information that he had threatened his wife with a gun, he was suicidal, and he posed a danger to himself and others that necessitated them taking some sort of action."
Becker called it "about a clear a case of self-defense or defense of other justification as will ever occur".
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling 988.
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