DETROIT (WXYZ) — A person was shot by a Detroit police officer during a foot pursuit downtown Monday evening, the chief said.
The shooting happened around 6:25 p.m. in the area of Bates and Farmer Streets near Campus Martius Park.
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Police Chief Todd Bettison said officers saw a group of young men with a backpack that looked heavy. Officers went through the bag and "found a conversion-type assault weapon."
The person with the backpack was arrested. He's about 19 years old, police said.
During the arrest, another male in the group took off, leading officers on a foot chase in an alley.
Bettison said an officer feared for his life and that the person police were chasing had a weapon. The officer fired multiple shots, injuring him. Police say he's in critical condition. The chief said the male is about 18 years old.
The officer involved was not injured.
Police recovered a weapon at the scene.
The Ford Fireworks event is taking place Monday evening. Bettison emphasized that there is no threat to the public and several law enforcement agencies are downtown for the fireworks event including Michigan State Police, the FBI, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
"It's not a threat to the public. Our officers observed as they're looking for individuals with weapons. We have clean zones, where individuals have to go and it's weapons free," Bettison said. "Our officers are trained, highly skilled and when they see individuals carrying what they believe (are) weapons, they will engage."
Bettison said the department is being very, very proactive."
"I've got the whole department working, so it's not smart to for people to bring guns downtown to the city of Detroit. It's just not a good idea," the chief said.
7 News Detroit is downtown and will provide updates as we learn more.
