The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety said Wednesday that Timothy Kurt Holden, 60, was shot by police after he reached for a gun in his car when confronted by officers near Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Park on North Rose Street on Tuesday.
Holden later died from his injuries at Bronson Hospital.
KDPS spokesperson Zach Hamelton, said bodycam footage of the incident is under review. He said no decision will be made on releasing the video until after an internal investigation, and a separate investigation by the Michigan State Police, are completed.
In a news release, KDPS said Holden had a violent criminal record that included prior arrests for home invasion, assault, armed robbery and stalking. Holden also had multiple violations of his conditional bond on a felony drug charge.
The incident began Tuesday morning at around 10 a.m. when officers were dispatched to a local hospital in response to a harassment complaint.
A hospital employee, with a personal protection order against Holden, told officers that he had repeatedly called and threatened her with a gun, according to KDPS. She quoted him as saying there would be a “tragedy” if she didn’t respond to his calls. Because of the seriousness of the threat, the hospital was placed on partial lockdown.
Officers spotted Holden later driving in downtown Kalamazoo and boxed-in his car in an alley by MLK Park. As officers approached the car, Hamelton said, the suspect reached for a gun, which prompted two officers to fire at him.
Officers at the scene immediately applied life saving measures until Life EMS arrived and transported Holden to Bronson Hospital where he died.
Police recovered a handgun from the scene, which Holden was not legally allowed to posses.
Hamelton also said a passenger in the car was not involved in the incident and not injured in the shooting.
The two officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave.
