A 60-year-old man suspected in the shooting of two Detroit police officers has been arrested and the officers are in stable condition, the police chief said Thursday.
The officers were conducting an investigation in an area where narcotics are sold Wednesday night on the city’s west side when they approached a man who was “acting fidgety,” Police Chief James Craig said. The man pulled out a gun and fired before the officers returned fire, Craig said.
One officer was shot in the neck and “the early diagnosis is he’s going to be OK,” Craig said. The other officer was shot in the ankle and body armor stopped two bullets to the chest, he said. Craig said the officers were in stable condition Thursday morning.
“Tragedy has struck again in the city of Detroit regarding Detroit’s finest,” Craig told reporters Wednesday. “The good news is that both are being treated.”
The man fled, sparking a police search that ended late Wednesday with the arrest of the suspect, Craig said. The man had been shot in the leg — an injury police believe was from the initial exchange of gunfire, Craig said. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Craig told WWJ-AM on Thursday morning that he expects the man to be charged and that the police investigation “is continuing at a rapid clip.”
The shooting took place near where Wayne State University officer was fatally shot in November. The officers who were shot Wednesday were part of a stepped up police presence in the area since 29-year-old Collin Rose was shot, Craig said.
Police are investigating whether there’s any connection between the shootings in November and Wednesday, Craig said. Investigators have been asking for tips from the public in Rose’s death. Charges against a man initially arrested in the case were later dropped.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.