A neighbor's backyard became the end of a deadly chase

A Cascade resident found herself at the center of a violent police confrontation Saturday afternoon when a man she never met was shot and killed in her backyard.

Taylor, who asked that her face and last name not be used, said she was inside her home on Widdicomb Avenue NW near 12th Avenue NW when Grand Rapids police arrived in her neighborhood.

"Probably about 15, 20 seconds later, they rushed to the backyard. I heard 'he's here, he's here.' I thought they were in the neighbor's yard because my yard is completely fenced in, and it turns out he was in my backyard, because 5, 10 seconds later I heard gunshots," Taylor said.

She said she saw a police tank in front of her house, a police K9 unit, and at least 20 officers.

The incident began with a domestic call

According to Grand Rapids Police Department Interim Chief Joe Trigg, the incident began around 1:15 p.m. Saturday in the 1000 block of Alpine Avenue NW. Officers responded to a call about a man threatening family members with a knife.

When officers arrived, Trigg said the suspect, a man in his 40s, threw a Molotov cocktail at a police cruiser. The cocktail hit the vehicle and set it on fire. Officers extinguished the flames.

Police attempted to de-escalate the situation multiple times. Trigg said officers used a "less lethal option," an impact weapon, which did not work.

The man returned inside the home and then emerged with a second Molotov cocktail. It is unclear whether the second device was thrown, Trigg said.

During this time, officers were working to evacuate family members still inside the home.

A chase through the neighborhood

The man then ran from the house, sparking a foot chase through the Cascade neighborhood.

During the chase, the suspect approached a person in a vehicle and attempted an armed carjacking, Trigg said. Officers believed the man was still armed with multiple knives. The carjacking attempt failed.

Police deployed a K9 unit to stop the suspect. The man stabbed the dog at least three times.

"Not only did Digo have a stab wound to his head that required treatment, marks on his vest suggest additional stabbing attempts to his body which could have easily proven fatal," GRPD Deputy Chief P.J. Baker said Monday.

The K9, named Digo, has a head injury but is expected to recover. Veterinarians have released the dog from their care. GRPD said it will evaluate Digo's fitness for duty once he is fully healed.

"At this point, we expect Digo will return to the K9 team, but will have to evaluate his fitness for duty when he is fully healed," Baker said. "We are very grateful to the veterinarians and emergency staff at the animal hospital for their expertise and care."

The final confrontation

The suspect ran into the backyard of a home in the 1000 block of Widdicomb Avenue NW and attempted to enter the home, Trigg said.

The man then charged officers with a knife. An officer fired what Trigg believed was four to five shots. The man died from his injuries.

Officers attempted to render aid, but the man did not survive.

Taylor said an officer stood behind her wooden fence with an assault rifle pointed toward her house. She said she could see him clearly through her back window.

"There's two bullet holes in my house, one is very close to where the window was that I was standing at, where I saw the police officer, and I was standing right there when the gunshots went off," Taylor said.

She said officers dragged the man's body from under her landlord's stairs onto her back porch.

"There's multiple blood stains in my cement," Taylor said.

Aftermath

Taylor said she attempted to clean the blood from her property after the scene cleared. She said she threw away cleaning supplies she had been using to paint a spare bedroom.

"I was painting my spare bedroom and I was staring out the window, and I was just disgusted and sad, and I was getting more furious," Taylor said. "So I went out there and used my supplies and threw them all away after cleaning it, because who wants that?"

No other injuries were reported in the incident.

The officer who fired the shots has been placed on administrative leave, as is department policy. The Michigan State Police has taken over the investigation.

GRPD has not released the identity of the man who was killed.

Residents in the area were told to stay inside during the incident. Taylor said she remained in her home throughout the confrontation.