DETROIT (WWJ) — Two Detroit police officers are recovering after being shot by an off-duty officer who was experiencing a mental health crisis Monday afternoon.
The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 14 in the area of Davison and St. Aubin on the city’s east side.
At a press conference early Monday evening Detroit Police Chief James White said the two officers were called to the area for a “suicide in progress” and when they arrived within five minutes they heard gunshots coming from near a water tower.
The suspect was identified as a 45-year-old officer, a member of the DPD Special Response Team with 13 years on the force. White said the man was in uniform, but had not been working on Monday.
White said the officer, whose name has not been released, was threatening suicide and “asking for suicide by cop.” He said the officer was experiencing a mental health crisis.
When officers with the 11th Precinct responded to the scene, the other officer was firing shots in the air from a high powered rifle, according to White. When the officers heard the gunshots, they retreated and took cover behind their car.
That’s when the man approached the car and fired multiple shots at it, hitting one officer in the leg and the other in the thigh. One of the officers then returned fire, hitting and killing the man.
The two wounded officers were taken to the hospital with what White said are non-life-threatening injuries.
White called it a “very tragic situation.”
The off-duty officer had recently been struggling with a “degenerative condition” that required him to have restricted duties on the force, according to White, but he had returned to full duty earlier this month. White said the man “had the full support” of the department and they felt things had been “moving in the right direction” with the man’s health.
The Special Response Team is a unit that “handles the most sensitive cases” and gord after “the most violent perpetrators,” including active shooters, barricaded gunmen and other violent offenders, according to White, including
“We’re not immune to the mental health crisis in this city, in our country, in our state. It affects everybody, including law enforcement officers,” White said. “The officers that responded were heroes. Once they recognized that he was one of our own members, they still had to do their job and make sure everybody was safe.”
The investigation is being handled by the Michigan State Police.
Last Tuesday night a man was shot and killed by Detroit police after he opened fire on officers at a park where a youth football team was practicing.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 for the latest updates as they become available. >>> LISTEN LIVE!
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