Kalamazoo Man Dies After Exchanging Gunfire With Officers

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — A Kalamazoo man fatally shot in an exchange of gunfire with police following a standoff has been identified as the suspect in a recent shooting that critically injured a woman.

Alex Rawls, 35, was found dead in a house in Kalamazoo where he had been holed up during an armed standoff lasting more than 16 hours, Michigan State Police said Tuesday.

The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety said Rawls barricaded himself in the house about 10:45 a.m. Monday, beginning a standoff with police that ended about 3 a.m. Tuesday.

Police said Rawls fired multiple times at officers, but none were hit or injured.

A deputy from the Kalamazoo Sheriff's Office and an officer from the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety returned fire and Rawls was hit an "undetermined number of times," state police said.

After using a drone to look for Rawls, officers entered the home. Rawls was found dead on the second floor of the residence, which police had partially demolished during the standoff.

The Kalamazoo officer and sheriff's deputy who fired their weapons have been placed on paid administrative leave, a standard policy following police-involved shootings.

The shooting is being investigated by state police, who said Rawls was the suspect in a Nov. 1 shooting on Kalamazoo's north side that left a woman in critical condition.

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