NORWICH, CT (WFSB) -
The Norwich Police Department identified the officer who they said was forced to open fire after a man drove his car at his mother and the officer in the parking lot at William Backus Hospital on Tuesday morning.
Officials said hospital security found a distraught man, who has not been identified at this time, inside a vehicle in the parking lot around 6:30 a.m. and attempted to get him to exit the vehicle and enter the hospital.
Connecticut State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance said Norwich police officers responded to the scene and parked their vehicles to block the man's vehicle.
The man's mother also arrived at the scene to help diffuse the situation.
While officers were speaking with the man inside his vehicle, state police said the man suddenly backed his vehicle up into one of the police cruisers. Then, without warning, the man drove his vehicle directly at police officers and his mother.
Sgt. Patrick Mickens, a 19-year veteran of the department, pushed the woman out of the way to safety and was then struck by the vehicle's side mirror as he drew his gun and fired two shots, hitting the vehicle and the man inside.
The unidentified man was treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, police said.
Since the incident, Mickens, who did not suffer serious injuries during the incident, has been assigned to administrative duties.
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