Off-duty Detroit police officer who was 'asking for suicide by cop' shoots 2 fellow officers: Chief

An off-duty Detroit police officer who was "asking for suicide by cop" was shot dead after he opened fire and injured two fellow officers, authorities said.

When officers responded to a 911 call for a suicide in progress on Monday afternoon, they identified the 45-year-old suspect as a member of the Detroit Police Department's special response team, Detroit Police Chief James White said.

The suspect, a 13-year veteran of the department, was off-duty but in uniform, White said.

"He is threatening suicide, he is asking for suicide by cop," White said at a news conference. "He is struggling with a mental crisis."

The suspect shot in the air with a high-powered rifle, White said, and the responding officers took cover behind their car.

The suspect then approached the officers' car, shot the back of the car multiple times and shot the two officers, the chief said.

One of the injured officers returned fire, fatally wounding the suspect, White said.

The two officers were both shot in the leg, the chief said. Their injuries are not life-threatening, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said.

"It's extremely tragic," the chief said. "We're not immune to the mental health crises in this city and our country and our state."

"The officers that responded were heroes," the chief added. "Once they recognized it was one of our own members, they still had to do their job."

"The courage they showed in the way that they responded, and the fact that one of our officers who was shot returned fire and ultimately shot the perpetrator, it’s a tragedy for the city," the mayor said. "But it's just a reminder that every Detroiter should be enormously grateful" for the police department.

The suspect had a "physical," "degenerative condition," White said, though he did not disclose the condition. The suspect had been on restrictive duty, White said, and had just returned to full duty on the special response team on Oct. 3, White said.

"We were hoping that things were moving in the right direction," White said. "He had the full support, he got the support he needed from the unit he was assigned to."

Officers on the special response team are "highly trained" and handle the "most sensitive cases" and the "most violent perpetrators," White said.

The Michigan State Police is handling the investigation, White said.

If you are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises, or are worried about a friend or loved one, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.