A traffic stop in Mobile, Alabama turned fatal Monday night when 19 year old Michael was shot and killed by a Mobile police officer.
According to investigators, Michael was pulled over after his car cut off another vehicle near Stanton Road and Wagner Street. Police said he did not have a driver’s license and was asked to step out of the car, and that a confrontation followed. Police said the officer noticed a firearm in Michael’s waistband, drew his duty weapon and fired, striking him four times. Officers later recovered a semi automatic .40 caliber Smith and Wesson, according to police.
Witnesses described the shooting differently. Speaking to Fox 10 News, a neighbor named Willie, who lives across the street, said he was watching from his doorway. He said the young man stepped out of the car with a cell phone in his hand and was shot right away, and that the officer fired again after he fell. A relative of that neighbor gave a similar account to the station.
The officer was placed on paid administrative leave while the case is investigated. Police said they were unable to determine whether any bullets were fired from the firearm that was recovered.
Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson released a statement saying the city’s prayers and condolences are with Michael’s family. He said the Mobile Police Department is investigating, that the FBI has been asked to conduct a parallel investigation, and that he expects the process to be as transparent as legally possible.
The police account and the witness accounts conflict, and the investigation was ongoing at the time of this report.
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