SPRINGFIELD, MI (WTVB) – A suspect is in custody in connection with one of the numerous gas station armed robberies in the area with yesterday’s arrest related to an officer involved shooting in Calhoun County. The suspect is a career criminal hospitalized after a confrontation with a Sheriff’s Department sergeant on North 30th in Springfield Wednesday afternoon.
A tip came in that the man who robbed the Citgo Station Sunday morning might be living in Springfield. That bandit initially was thought to possibly have also been involved in a stickup at the Shell in Athens early Tuesday.
Yesterday, a Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department sergeant spotted the suspect’s vehicle, and after a short chase the man identified as Derrick Shirk ran into a home on 30th Street and came out with a handgun. A neighbor said the officer gave Shirk plenty of warning. The gun was a toy, but it looked real.
The suspect was hit twice in the abdomen, and after surgery at Bronson Methodist in Kalamazoo, they are saying it appears he will recover. Shirk was a parole absconder with a long list of break-ins, hold-ups and even a couple of jail escapes on his criminal record.
Calhoun County Sheriff Matt Saxton says it appears that his sergeant followed procedure and he was justified in using lethal force. The sergeant will be riding a desk while the shooting is reviewed internally and investigated by the Battle Creek Police Department.
