Off-duty police officer killed after shooting two other officers on Detroit’s east side

DETROIT – Detroit’s police community is mourning after officers shot and killed one of their colleagues who opened fire on officers during a mental health crisis.

Details

The situation occurred just before 2:30 p.m. on Monday, October 14, in the area of ​​E Davison and St Aubin, near the Highland Park water tower.

Police said officers were responding to a 911 call from the off-duty officer when he began shooting, injuring two officers. The officers shot back and killed him.

Who was the officer killed?

Detroit Police Chief James White said two officers heard gunshots and then identified the shooter as a member of their Special Response Team (SRT).

“Upon arrival they heard gunshots,” White said. The suspect has been identified as a member of our department. He is a member of our special operations team. He’s off duty. He threatens suicide. He asks the police officer to commit suicide. He is struggling with a mental health crisis. Tragically, we are not immune to mental health crises. We are like everyone else as public servants who have to deal with this every day.”

Officials said the shooter was in full uniform. He was 45 years old and had been with the Detroit Police Department for 13 years.

“It is extremely tragic and we are not immune to the mental health crisis in this city, in our country and in our state,” White said. “It affects everyone, and as the mayor said, the officers who responded were heroes. “Once they realized it was one of our members, they still had to do their job and make sure everyone was safe. We will provide grief counseling for our officers and work with the family to ensure they get what they need. It’s just a terrible day.”

White said the SRT officer had cognitive impairment because he was incapacitated for a period of time and then restricted. But it wasn’t until October 3rd that the officer returned to full duty.

“We were hoping that things were moving in the right direction and that he had full support in the unit he was assigned to and got the support he needed,” White said. “He said a lot of things and some of them didn’t add up since he was in a mental health crisis, so you would expect that, but we’ll be looking at all of that as we begin the ongoing investigation. The entire matter needs to be handled by the Michigan State Police are being processed, but we’re going to look at some of the things he said, but a lot of it really didn’t add up.”

Officers injured

White said the colleague fired into the air. Officers checked the area, but when they heard the shots, they retreated and took cover because they realized he had a high-powered rifle.

White said the officer approached the vehicle they were taking cover behind and fired several times into the back of the vehicle, hitting the two officers.

One of the officers was hit in the leg and the other in the thigh area, resulting in one of the officers returning fire, fatally wounding the officer in question.

The officers were taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital after the shooting, where they are in stable condition.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan was there and called. He received a call about the shooting of an officer, the worst thing he had ever experienced.

Duggan said they are glad the two injured officers who responded to the scene did not suffer life-threatening injuries. Still, the situation was a reminder of the courage the Detroit Police Department officer showed every day.

“They went to the scene knowing they would be confronted by a well-trained and armed department officer who had a significant mental health issue,” Duggan said. “The courage they showed in their response resulted in one of our officers being shot, returning fire and ultimately shooting the perpetrator.” It’s a tragedy for the city, but it’s just a reminder that every Detroiter “We should be grateful for the commitment of the men and women of this department.”

What a witness heard near the crime scene

A witness said he saw more than 10 police vehicles and heard gunfire between police and the suspect.

“I first heard a handgun being fired, the police returned fire, and moments later they were still standing, and after that there was rapid fire like a machine gun or an AK-47 or something.

Watch the full press conference below