BATTLE CREEK -- For the second time in a week, there has been an officer involved shooting in Battle Creek. They have identified 32-year-old Leroy Nelson Jr as the suspect who was shot and killed.
Police have released the name of the knife wielding man who was shot and killed when he attacked an officer near Oak Hill and Echo. They had responded to several complaints of a drunken adult male harassing and threatening people with a knife.
They found Nelson in the bushes. He lunged and slightly injured one of the officers, but not before the officer was able to discharge his service revolver once. Nelson was killed.
The officer who pulled the trigger has been put on routine administrative leave while State Police investigate determine if the shooting was justified. The officer has only been on the force for 9 months.
Last week Joseph Johnson was shot as he fled from the scene of a violent burglary in Battle Creek. He is expected to survive his wounds.
There was a time when police officers might go through their entire careers with out ever having to fire their weapon in the line of duty, and while that’s still the case, it happens less often.
Tough times, desperate criminals and the availability of weapons has made police work more dangerous.
Craig Floyd at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund says police deaths are up 43% this year, and if the pace continues, it could be could be one of the deadliest years for officers in recent history.
