Officer-involved shooting in Detroit, what could push Covid cases back up, a strange light

FRIDAY NEWS HIT - The driver of a suspect vehicle is in temporary critical condition after being shot by police on Detroit's west side. 

Law enforcement were at a BP gas station at the corner of Schoolcraft and Outer Drive early Friday morning when they came across a vehicle they had been searching for. 

The driver, who was pumping gas at the time proceeded to enter his vehicle and drive at the police.

Law enforcement returned fire, striking the suspect driver.

The incident happened around 12:45 a.m.

"All I heard was a gunshot, I got down, stayed for about 5 or 6 seconds, by the time I got back up, I heard the truck already entering the freeway," said Nader Mohamed, a clerk at the nearby gas station.

The driver then fled, who a short while later ditched his truck. He was found two miles or so away from the vehicle in a field. 

MORE: Unearthed rape kit, new evidence exonerates man of sex crimes after 15 years

He was taken to a hospital in temporary serious condition. The officer who was struck is okay.

Police would not disclose why they were searching for the truck. 

2 Michigan State troopers struck by suspected drunk

Two Michigan State troopers were injured after a suspected drunk driver crashed into the back of a squad car early Friday morning. The police cruiser sustained heavy damage to its rear and one officer received a possible concussion. The second officer suffered a low back injury.

The crash happened around 12:20 a.m. during a traffic stop on M-39. While stopped in the right lane of southbound M-39 just north of I-96, a squad car was struck from behind by a Jeep Grand Wagoneer. 

Police made contact with the driver after the crash. They determined he was intoxicated. During a search of the driver's vehicle, they also found a firearm. 

The suspect driver, identified as a 38-year-old Oak Park man was arrested and taken for a blood draw before being lodged at the Detroit Detention Center. Both officers have since been released from the hospital. A report will be sent to the prosecutor.

Spring events expected to increase Michigan Covid cases

Health officials are warning of spring events like proms, graduations and Memorial Day events that could lead to a rise in Covid cases. "Numbers are much better than they were before but we have seen a slight uptick in our cases compared to the previous weeks," said Dr. Justin Skrzynski, Beaumont.

As hospitals in southeast Michigan continue to track COVID cases, state officials with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services believe that uptick in cases is expected to rise through May. And although Covid cases may increase, officials believe the number of people hospitalized with Covid will not rise significantly because of the number of people who are vaccinated.

State officials want Michiganders to participate in best practices and that means having a mask available at all times, and over-the-counter test kits on hand. |State officials want residents to test ahead of group celebrations and gatherings. "Definitely getting checked out getting tested because you never know someone to have it and not even know," said Kenya Daniels of Oak Park.

MDHHS also wants you to talk to your doctor ahead of time to find out if you qualify for treatments if you are infected. "People hear about this Covid pill, Paxlovid," Dr. Skrzynski said. "One of the important things about that for instance, is that it has to be done within the first few days of infection." Part of spring and summertime fun also includes travel for many families. Medical experts believe wearing a mask is beneficial when you are in close proximity to others.

Strange lights in the sky spotted over Southeast Michigan

Sightings poured into FOX 2 Thursday night after strange lights in the sky were spotted over southeast Michigan shortly before 10 p.m. The lights, which appeared to be a silent long thin white line, were reported from Romulus to Grosse Pointe - even as far as Lansing.

"A strange long string of lights or aircraft traveling west to east over Livingston County in Iosco Township," said Adam Bates from Fowlerville. "Video taken shortly before 10 p.m. tonight. Absolutely no sound. Light just faded out as it traveled east as shown in video."

Shaun Ervin checked in from Clawson with the same description of the unusual line of lights. "My wife and I were walking in Clawson approx. 9:50 p.m. tonight when we saw something in the sky. A long line of lights moving from north to south. We took pictures and videos. Suddenly, the lights dimmed and finally disappeared. Whatever this phenomenon was, was gigantic," he said. 

FOX 2's Chief Meteorologist Rich Luterman said he thinks it is a meteorite or a satellite being launched. He added it might be Space X-related. According to the American Meteor Society, Lyrids become active during the month of April from the 15th through the 29th. There has been no word yet on Thursday night's activity. 

Unearthed rape kit, new evidence exonerates man of sex crimes after 15 years

A 35-year-old man in jail since being convicted in 2007 for criminal sexual conduct is set to be exonerated Friday by the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, it announced in a release. A recent investigation and evidence in the case - including rape kit DNA, has proven Terance Calhoun did not commit the crimes. 

New evidence has resulted in the identification of another man, who has been linked to several other sexual assaults. "It is important to note that Mr. Calhoun’s case was prosecuted prior to the 2009 discovery of the backlog of untested sexual assault kits and subsequent creation of the Sexual Assault Kit Task Force," the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said in a release.

On Friday, April 22, 2022 at 1:00 p.m., CIU Director Valerie Newman will ask Judge Kelly Ramsey to enter an order vacating the convictions and charges and dismissing the case.

Calhoun had pleaded no contest in two separate cases: An attempted assault of a 15-year-old girl on September 26, 2006, near Fenkell Avenue and Gladstone Street in Detroit, and the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl on October 27, 2006, near a liquor store on Fenkell Avenue in Detroit. He was sentenced on March 28, 2007

What else we're watching

1. It's Earth Day across the globe and several community groups have festivities planned around the event. Other municipalities plan to plant trees as well, including Oakland County which will be putting in the first of more than a thousand trees in the George W. Kuhn Drain District.
2. The suspect in an Oxford man's killing this week is expected to be arraigned on open murder and felony firearm charges Friday. Dennis Kendrick is survived by a loving family who say their dad built a life around them, and also survived colon cancer. 
3. Patrick Lyoya's funeral is today. The Grand Rapids man killed by police in early April has become the latest casualty of a traffic stop that escalated into a struggle, and eventually a shooting. Al Sharpton is expected to deliver a sermon at the event at the Renaissance Church of God in Christ. 
4. A Washtenaw County Circuit Court judge has ordered an insurance company to resume paying home health care bills of a paralyzed Ann Arbor man. The ruling also called Michigan's 2019 auto insurance reform law that slashed payments to medical providers as "unconstitutional" which could have big implications for the amended law. 
5. Could gas prices rebound? While prices have continued to fall in recent weeks after spiking in March, experts suspect that another wave of increased prices at the pump could be on the way. 

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

Temperatures will take a slight dip from yesterday's beautiful weather conditions on Friday. Count on mid-50s and increasing chances of rain throughout the afternoon and evening. The weather this weekend will rebound into the 70s with rain Saturday morning and Sunday night. 

Audio: McCarthy said he would urge Trump to resign

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy told fellow GOP lawmakers shortly after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection that he would urge then-President Donald Trump to resign, according to audio posted by The New York Times and aired on Rachel Maddow's MSNBC show.

In the recording of a Jan. 10 House Republican Leadership call posted by the Times Thursday night, McCarthy is heard discussing the Democratic effort to remove Trump from office and saying he would tell Trump, "I think it will pass and it would be my recommendation he should resign."

It's unclear whether McCarthy, who is in line to become House speaker if Republicans gain control during the fall midterm elections, followed through on his thinking or was merely spit-balling ideas shared privately with his colleagues in the aftermath of the deadly Capitol assault.

In the same conversation, McCarthy told his colleagues he doubted Trump would take the advice to step aside.

"That would be my recommendation," McCarthy is heard saying in response to question from Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., who would emerge as a staunch Trump critic. "I don't think he will take it, but I don't know.""