Rayvon Shahid Obituary, Death; – The Department of Attorney General concluded its review of a deadly officer-involved shooting in Flint and is not issuing charges against the Michigan State Police troopers involved.
On Nov. 2, MSP said Flint Post troopers were patrolling near Essex Street and Pasadena Avenue and confronted an armed suspect – identified as 17-year-old Rayvon Shahid – who ran, and was shot and killed.
On Nov. 21, MSP completed its investigation into the shooting and sent it to the AG’s department for review. On Feb. 7, the AG’s department said it’s not issuing charges against the troopers involved as they acted in self-defense and the defense of others.
On Nov. 2, an MSP trooper was in their patrol car when they saw an unknown person in a ski mask near the intersection of Martin Luther King Avenue and E. Dewey Street in Flint who the trooper believed was carrying a concealed pistol that bulged from the right side of his waistband, the AG’s department said.
The trooper communicated this to the other trooper in the vehicle and continued watching the individual who was acting suspiciously by hiding behind buildings on the east side of Martin Luther King Avenue. After further observation that supported their suspicion the person was carrying a concealed handgun, the troopers circled the block to stop the person on suspicion of a firearm offense.
According to the AG’s department, when the troopers stopped Rayvon and had a quick discussion about why he was stopped, he reached under his jacket with his right hand toward the area where the trooper he suspected was carrying the gun.
This prompted the troopers to unholster their pistols and they told Rayvon to not reach and get to the ground, the AG’s department said. He raised his right hand, empty, toward the troopers, and backed away slowly. He then turned his back on them and ran.
The troopers chased after Rayvon on foot and communicated with each other about the now-visible gun he had in his right hand, the AG’s department said, adding one trooper tried to deploy his taser into Rayvon’s back, which was unsuccessful.
The AG’s department said troopers instructed Rayvon to “drop the gun” 10 times during the chase, which lasted 25 seconds. Rayvon then ran south on W. Essex Street and turned northwest through residential property all while he was turning his head to see where the troopers were.
As he approached Pasadena Avenue, which was in the direction of nearby businesses and bystanders, the troopers fired their service pistols until he fell to the sidewalk along the road, near his pistol which was equipped with an extended magazine carrying 24 rounds of ammunition, the AG’s department said.
The troopers immediately rendered first-aid while waiting for emergency transportation to the hospital, which was where Rayvon was pronounced dead. The AG’s department said the review concluded the officers’ initial stop was proper and legal, and using deadly force was a justified exercise of self-defense and defense of others.
The AG’s department said signed statements by the troopers said it was their opinion that Rayvon’s refusal to drop his pistol throughout the pursuit indicated he intended on using the weapon against the troopers – or others – and was a significant factor when they assessed the danger to themself, the other trooper, and bystanders. As Rayvon ran toward an area with more bystanders with his gun in his right hand, the danger to the troopers and the public continued to escalate until deadly force was deployed to end the chase.
The AG’s department went on to say the following:
“Here, under all of the facts and circumstances presented, the Department concluded the MSP Troopers acted in defense of themselves and the public and did not act in a manner that could substantiate criminal charges. The MSP Troopers were justified in their initial engagement with Rayvon Shahid on suspicion of concealing a weapon, justified in their pursuit of Rayvon Shahid to effectuate an arrest for Resisting and Obstructing their initial engagement and to investigate a suspected firearm offense, and justified in their use of deadly force under these circumstances as an act of self-defense and defense of others.
This Department has assessed the Troopers’ beliefs that deadly force was necessary due to the threat to their lives and those of the public to be both honest and reasonable. Furthermore, this Department is prohibited by law from issuing criminal charges in cases where it cannot prove the use of deadly force to be unjustified.”
“Under all the facts and circumstances known to the officers on this date, they were justified in their use of deadly force in self-defense and in defense of others. Law enforcement officers have the same privilege of self-defense as anyone else. Shooting a gun in self-defense requires an honest and reasonable belief that an officer is in danger of being killed or seriously injured. If that person’s belief was honest and reasonable, they can act immediately to defend themselves.
Under Michigan law, a police officer, because of his or her duty and responsibility to protect the public, is not required to retreat in the face of a display of force. In this circumstance, Shahid was determined a danger to the community and the public, by the police officers at the scene, the moment he ran with a visible gun in hand. Had the Troopers allowed Mr. Shahid to flee as he attempted, armed and in the direction of many homes and an open business all presumably populated, this would have posed a significant risk to the community.”
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