The Warren Police Department held a press conference Thursday morning to address what they say are false claims circulating in the media and on social media following a deadly police chase and officer-involved shooting earlier this week.
The incident happened early Tuesday morning, July 8, after officers responded to a 911 call reporting a domestic violence and arson situation at his girlfriend’s home on Prospect Street in Warren.
Police say 32-year-old Rakim Wright of Detroit fled the scene in a vehicle, leading officers on a six-minute chase that ended in Detroit.
Officials said Wright fired at officers during the chase. At one point, he got out of his vehicle and ran before taking his own life with a single gunshot wound to the head. Police confirmed Wright was holding a stolen .45 caliber handgun when he died.
During the press conference, police pushed back on several claims made online and in media reports, including that Wright was unarmed, that police fired dozens of shots, and that officers shot him while he had his hands up. They said none of those claims are true and were disproven by bodycam and dashcam footage.
Investigators said two Warren officers fired a total of eight shots, but none struck Wright. His death, they said, was self-inflicted.
“It is completely false that Warren officers fired 40 to 50 shots during this incident. In reality, two Warren officers fired a total of eight shots, none of which struck Rakeem Wright,” Warren police Lt. John Gajewski said during the press conference.
Police also said Wright had a prior domestic violence arrest involving the same victim and that the woman and her children are now receiving support and services.
Four Warren officers are currently on administrative leave, which is standard protocol. The shooting is being investigated by Detroit Police and Michigan State Police.
“It is inaccurate, inflammatory, and quite frankly harmful to have statements out there that the Warren Police shot at Rakeem Wright’s car, and worse, shot at Rakeem Wright while his hands were up or as he was giving up,” Lt. John Gajewski said.
Watch full video above.
