Reynard Burton never had a valid Michigan driver's license. Perhaps that's why the 19-year-old ran from Detroit police Monday afternoon when they spotted the green Pontiac he was in speeding.
But the young Detroit man also did not have any warrants out for his arrest - just old hits on his juvenile record for domestic assault and battery, according to Detroit Police.
Burton's sister says her family is devastated.
Instead of stopping for police Monday, Burton hit the gas and crashed into a utility pole. And then he ran.
A police officer who has been with DPD for 22 years got out on foot and chased the 19-year-old for about a quarter of a mile.
The two men ended up in the backyard of an abandoned home on Webb Street near Otsego. That's where the officer ordered Burton to the ground.
Instead, police say Burton grabbed for the officer's gun. The officer fired a single shot and Burton died from a gunshot wound to his chest.
A joint police task force is now investigating the fatal shooting in which protocol calls for the officer to be off duty pending an evaluation from a psychologist.
