Swarms of police respond to Grifols Biomat USA Plasma Center on reports of shots fired in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan on Tuesday, March 12, 2019. Authorities say a police officer has been shot while responding to the shooting. (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)
Republished March 12, 2019 - 2:14 PM
Original Publication Date March 12, 2019 - 10:36 AM
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - A man who "wanted to ambush" police was killed Tuesday inside a plasma donation centre in southwestern Michigan during a shootout that injured an officer, authorities said.
A Kalamazoo officer was shot in the torso, but his injury wasn't life-threatening due to a bulletproof vest, said Karianne Thomas, the city's public safety chief.
Another officer fired multiple shots and killed the suspect, Thomas said. The dead man's name wasn't immediately released.
Lisa Walterhouse, an employee at the downtown plasma centre, says police responded after the man entered the building and fired shots. She said he urged staff to call 911.
He "wanted to ambush officers. ... The suspect was waiting by the door for officers to arrive," Thomas said. "They encountered gunfire and returned gunfire."
No other injuries were reported. Thomas said the officer who repeatedly shot the suspect has been with the department for less than a year.
"We are not immune to workplace violence or violence directed at our first responders," the chief said.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019