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ELPD responds to man who appears to have accidentally shot himself

October 18, 2017
<p>An MSU police vehicle speeds away to tag down a suspect on &nbsp;Sep. 1, 2017 on W Shaw. The vehicle was speeding.</p>

An MSU police vehicle speeds away to tag down a suspect on  Sep. 1, 2017 on W Shaw. The vehicle was speeding.

Photo by Anntaninna Biondo | The State News

Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated a mentally distressed Wyoming, Michigan man was taken into custody. While ELPD was looking for the aforementioned man, it was not the same person who accidentally shot himself. The Wyoming, Michigan man was not located.


East Lansing Police took a man into custody Monday who appeared to have accidentally shot himself after pursuing a tip from the Wyoming Police Department, Lt. Chad Connelly said. 

ELPD received a tip in the evening hours from WPD that a man who was mentally distressed was believed to be making his way down to the city. After setting out, ELPD received another call about a different man with a gunshot wound.

Connelly said the man was found injured on Harrison Road between Saginaw Highway and Grand River Avenue. Officers believe he accidentally discharged the weapon on himself.

"Our officers searched a good amount of time for the subject," Connelly said. "Eventually he was located on Harrison Road and upon making contact with him, it looked like he had discharged the weapon, striking himself with that round. At this point the wound is non-life threatening."

Though Connelly said police were unable to determine a motive, the weapon found at the scene was a handgun. The man was taken to a nearby hospital and the investigation remains ongoing.

"We’re unsure at this time if it was intentional or accidental, but that’s a part of the investigation," Connelly said. "Right now it appears the wound was accidental." 

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