Prosecutor: No charges against Trenton cop in shooting

Detroit — The Wayne County Prosecutor’s office announced Friday that no charges will be issued against a Trenton police officer in the shooting death of an 18-year-old man in May.

Evidence supports that the officer was justified in shooting Kyle Baker as he was acting in self defense, according to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.

“In this case, the officers not only acted in self defense and defense of others, but no shots were fired until after the decedent had seriously injured one of the officers with a lawnmower blade and kept advancing,” Worthy said in a statement Friday. “As a result, no charges against any officer will be issued.”

Baker was shot May 28 after he allegedly attacked and wounded an officer with a lawnmower blade in the 2800 block of Longmeadow Drive. He died the next day. The officer was treated at a local hospital for a deep cut to his hand and was released.

Baker was a senior at Trenton High School.

According to the prosecutor’s office, police were contacted by school officials about Baker because he was reportedly exhibiting erratic and paranoid behavior before leaving school.

“Baker’s family also corroborated that Baker exhibited out of character behavior leading up to the incident,” the prosecutor’s office wrote.

Baker ran a small business out of the porch area of the home sharpening lawn mower blades and mowing lawns.

When police arrived at the home, two officers entered and saw Baker at the bottom of the basement stairs with a two-foot-long lawn mower blade. According to the prosecutor’s office, Baker climbed the stairs and kept advancing toward the officers despite being ordered to stop and drop the weapon several times.

“As Baker continued toward the officers, one officer used a Taser on him twice, with little effect,” the prosecutor’s office wrote. “The other officer used a Taser a third time. Baker attacked and cut the second officer in the hand with the lawn mower blade.”

The injured officer fell back and fired one shot at Baker, who was continuing to advance toward him, the prosecutor said.

Baker was taken to a local hospital where he died from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The officer suffered a cut approximately four inches long and one and a half inches deep, according to the prosecutor’s office.

cwilliams@detroitnews.com

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