Prosecutor: Detroit officers who fatally wounded man had minimal time to ‘eliminate the threat’

Eyewitnesses to the shooting indicated the police did all that they could to de-escalate the situation before the man charged at the officers

November 24, 2022 01:25 PM

Associated Press

DETROIT — Detroit police officers who fired at a 20-year-old man wielding a knife will not be charged for his death, a county prosecutor said.

Porter Burks, who police said had schizophrenia, was believed to be experiencing a mental health crisis when he was fatally struck on the morning of Oct. 2.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced her decision not to prosecute responding officers Wednesday, saying they had minimal time to “eliminate the threat,” the Detroit Free Press reported.

“The police spent a significant amount of time trying to get him to drop his weapon,” Worthy wrote in a statement. “He suddenly ran at them with the knife and covered the distance between them in approximately three seconds. Eyewitnesses to the shooting were interviewed and indicated that the police did all that they could to de-escalate the situation before Mr. Burks charged at the police.”

Body camera footage shows law enforcement pleading with Burks to drop the 3 1/2-inch (9-centimeter-long) blade he was carrying on a dimly lit Detroit street.

“Drop the knife for me, man. Come here real quick. You’re OK,” said a member of the Detroit Police Department’s crisis intervention team at about 5 a.m. on the city’s west side. “You’re not in any trouble. Can you just talk to me and drop the knife?”

“You’re not in any trouble, OK?” the officer continued. “I just want to help you. I just want to help you, man. OK? Can you just drop the knife for me please? Please? Whatever you’re going through I can help you.”

But Burks — who had a history of struggling with mental illness — didn’t drop the knife and after pacing in the middle of the street suddenly sprinted toward officers. Burks was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Detroit Police Chief James White called the shooting a “very tragic situation.”

“Not the desired outcome. This is not what we wanted,” said White, who later added “our mental health crisis in this country is real. Our mental health crisis in our city is real.”