Detroit police officers shot and killed a veteran cop who opened fire on them in an apparent suicide attempt on Monday afternoon.
The unidentified 45-year-old shooter, who had 13 years of experience on the city’s police force, opened fire on his fellow officers with a ‘high-powered rifle’ – injuring two before they returned fire, according to The Detroit News.
He had been struggling with his mental health and was ‘asking for suicide by cop,’ Chief James White announced at a news conference hours after the officer’s shocking death.
The chief noted that the cop had been off work recently and had recently returned to ‘full duty.’
He was wearing his uniform at the time, but was off-duty at the time of the shooting.
An off-duty Detroit officer was shot and killed by his fellow cops Monday afternoon
White said the police-involved shooting unfolded after officers from the 11th Precinct responded to a 911 call for a ‘suicide in progress’ at around 2.26pm.
They then found that the person who was threatening suicide was a cop.
‘Upon arrival, they hear gunshots,’ White recounted.
‘The suspect is identified as a member of our department. He is a member of our special response team. He is off-duty.
‘He is threatening suicide. He is asking for suicide by cop,’ the chief said.
The officer was shooting into the air when cops arrived, and they took cover behind a vehicle, but the shooter soon approached the vehicle and started firing into the rear, White said.
‘He strikes two of our officers, one in the leg and one in the thigh area,’ the chief said.
‘One officer returns fire, fatally wounding the officer in question.’
Chief James White said the unidentified officer had been struggling with his mental health and was ‘asking for suicide by cop,’
The officer had been working through a serious ‘degenerative condition’ and had been off work for a while, but returned on October 3, White said.
He had no prior mental health issues.
‘We were hoping that things were moving in the right direction,’ the chief told reporters. ‘From what I understood, that it was a positive thing for him.’
