Family: man shot by Detroit police wasn't holding woman at gunpoint

DETROIT (WJBK) - A man was hospitalized Wednesday night after being shot by a Detroit police officer who was on the city's east side visiting family. The officer said a woman was being held at gunpoint but the family of the man shot says that's not true.

The officer was visiting family in the 5000 block of Rohns Street, near Gratiot and I-94. He heard a man and woman arguing and went outside to check out what was going on.

The off-duty officer said he saw a man holding the woman with a gun to her head and showed his gun while ordering the man to drop the weapon. The officer said he feared for the woman's life and shot the man, identified as Isaac Alexander, in the groin.

Off-duty Detroit police officer shoots suspect holding woman at gunpoint

"He heard the altercation. He went to see what was going on," said Cmdr. Deshaune Sims. "He identified himself as a police officer, directed the gentleman to drop his weapon - he did not. And fearing for the lady's safety, he discharged his weapon."

However, the mother of the man shot says the story police are telling doesn't add up.

"That don't make no sense to me," she said. "That statement they had on the news last night that he had a gun pointed to her head and he tried to save the girls life? That's not true. Never once did he have a gun in his hand and pointed to her head."

The officer shot twice, hitting the-year-old man in the groin. Both investigators and his mom say his girlfriend loaded him into her car and took him to St. John's Hospital.

"She grabbed him and said help me, help me get him into the car and  take him to the hospital," Alexander's mom said. "All she heard was pop pop and he dropped to his knees. He looked around and said man your shot me."

Police are still working through the specifics of the shooting but maintain the officer saved the woman's life.

"The officer did his job. He was probably going to kill her," Sims said.

Police say the reason family have not been able to see the the 45 year old , is because he is under arrest. His mom says he needed surgery on his hip. 

Police also tell us they recovered a weapon at the scene and are waiting to hear back from prosecutor on charges