Munising area resident dies after being shot by police

A man shot by police in Munising Township Monday night died at the scene. Police say he is Munising-area resident Timothy Mitchell, 47.

Alger County Dispatch received a call at about 5:30 Monday night regarding an altercation in Christmas. Dispatchers were told a highly intoxicated suspect drove away from that altercation. A Munising Police officer saw a vehicle in the city of Munising matching the description of the suspect’s vehicle. He tried to pull the vehicle over, but the post commander of the Michigan State Police Gladstone Post says Mitchell did not stop.

“This led to a pursuit of that vehicle, which led out of the city of Munising down Highway 13 to Buckhorn Road,” Lt. Gregory Cunningham said. “At the scene on Buckhorn Road, the vehicle crashed, and at the scene, there was gunfire and an officer shooting at that scene.”

The shooting took place at about 5:45 p.m. Some early media reports claimed the altercation in Christmas was a domestic incident. The State Police say it was not, though they couldn’t provide additional details.

“The other incident that I want to clarify (is) that there was an exchange of gunfire,” Lt. Cunningham said. “There was not an exchange of gunfire. There was gunfire and an officer shooting, and that investigation is continuing into the circumstances surrounding that.”

Mitchell’s autopsy took place at Marquette General Hospital this morning. The results have not come back yet.

The name of the officer involved is also not available yet. He’s been placed on administrative leave from the Munising Police Department, with pay, until the investigation is finished.