Passenger shot, wounded by police during traffic stop

Associated Press

Battle Creek – A person has been shot and wounded by a police officer while reaching for a gun inside a vehicle during an early morning traffic stop in southern Michigan.

The shooting occurred about 12:13 a.m. Tuesday after a vehicle was pulled over due to erratic driving, Battle Creek police said.

One of two officers spotted a gun in the waistband of a passenger in the front seat and told that person to raise their hands. As the officer reached for the gun, the passenger began to resist and reached for a second gun on the floor of the vehicle, according to police.

That’s when the officer shot and wounded the passenger who later was taken to a hospital.

The second officer was speaking with the driver outside the vehicle at the time of the shooting. The driver was arrested on charges related to the traffic stop.

No other details were released about the occupants of the vehicle.

Both officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, a standard practice when officers are involved in a shooting, police said.

Battle Creek police have asked the state police to investigate the shooting.