Family: Man fatally shot by Wayne officer was suffering mental health crisis

WAYNE, Mich. (FOX 2) - A fatal officer-involved shooting in which a suspect died from his injuries Tuesday afternoon is under investigation.

A 40-year-old man called 911 on himself and said he was in the midst of a mental episode, according to Wayne police. The man was armed with a kitchen knife when the officer fatally shot him.

The incident took place at an apartment building at Newberry Square, on Newberry Street at Michigan Avenue, around 2:30 p.m.

"The subject advised the 911 operator that he was suffering from a mental health crisis and that he was off of his medications," said Wayne Police Deputy Chief Finley Carter.

The man also told police he had cut himself several times in a suicide attempt, and was currently caring for his 4-year-old child who was in the apartment with him. 

Brooks Edwards, who was supposed to be the future mother-in-law of the man shot by police, told FOX 2 that he suffers from schizophrenia and is known to have episodes. 

"Police are supposed to be here to protect and serve the community, and not take people out of here who have mental illness problems," Edwards said. "He had a butter knife –not a machete, not a gun– and they shot him six times and killed him."

According to Wayne police, officers made multiple unsuccessful attempts to get the man to drop the knife.

"The officers did give him several verbal commands and attempted two… taser deployments that were ineffective," Carter said. "The subject then charged towards the officers, in which one officer responded by firing several shots, which stopped him at the time."

The Wayne Police Department has requested Michigan State Police to investigate the shooting. 

The officer is now on administrative leave as MSP investigates.

"There are no injuries to officers and no danger to the public," Michigan State Police said in a post on X. "The investigation is just beginning and no further information is available at this time."

Attorney Todd Perkins is a friend of the family. He plans to help the family get to the bottom of what transpired, and what needs to happen moving forward.

The man who was fatally shot was "a father, a son, a cousin, a brother – it’s hard," Perkins said. "As human beings, we know there should have been a different outcome… Is it training that could have resolved this? And ended up in something that is a trip to the hospital versus a trip to the morgue?"

Police's body-worn cameras should detail exactly what happened, according to the attorney.

The man’s family and friends are in shock over the outcome.

"We are dealing with mental illness every day. I work for a health company and I see it every day," Edwards said. "It’s sad that people don’t take time to see what is wrong before they pull the trigger."