LIVE FROM DOWNTOWN DETROIT. LOCAL 4 NEWS FIRST AT FOUR STARTS NOW. DETROIT POLICE
DEMAND ACTION AFTER LOSING
ANOTHER OFFICER TO GUN VIOLENCE
A LITTLE BIT OLD. HEARING ABOUT
WHAT EVERYONE’S GOING TO DO.
IT’S TIME TO DO IT. THE FAMILY,
FRIENDS AND COWORKERS OF OFFICER
LAUREN COURTS LEFT TO GRIEVE
AFTER HE VOLUNTEERED TO WORK A
DOUBLE SHIFT. WE WERE ROBBED OF
ONE OF OUR HEROES. THE CITY WAS
ROBBED. OF THE GREAT FATHER,
GREAT POLICE OFFICER. GOOD
AFTERNOON. I’M KAREN DREW,
DETROIT’S CHIEF OF POLICE SPOKE
A SHORT TIME AGO. YOU COULD HEAR
THE EMOTION AND THE
DETERMINATION IN HIS VOICE AFTER
THE LOSS OF OFFICER COURT’S
CHIEF WHITE SHARED NEW
INFORMATION ON THE
INVESTIGATION. AS WELL AS THE
CHANGES HE’D LIKE TO SEE IN THE
FUTURE. THE LATE OFFICER’S WIFE
, SHARING PERSONAL MEMORIES WITH
LOCAL 4 CALLING COURTS, HER BEST
FRIEND AND AN AMAZING DAD. WE’VE
BEEN GATHERING THE VERY LATEST
INFORMATION. WE’RE GOING TO
START WITH ROD MELONI, WHO IS
LOOKING INTO HOW THIS HAPPENED,
ROD WELL, KAREN CHIEF WHITE SAID
THAT THIS WAS ESSENTIALLY A
SUICIDE BY COP. NOW TAKE A LOOK
BEHIND ME HERE AT THE CORNER OF
JOY AND MARLO. YOU SEE THE
WINDOWS THAT ARE BROKEN OUT ON
THE SECOND FLOOR. THE YOUNG MAN
19 YEARS OLD WAS FIRING WHAT
THEY CALL THE DRACO GUN, WHICH
THEY SAY IS MUCH LIKE AN AK 47
HAD A BANANA CLIP AND HE WAS
SHOOTING OUT OF THOSE WINDOWS
DOWN AT THE STREET CARS AT FIRST
, WHICH BROUGHT THE POLICE OUT
HERE AND THEN THE POLICE CAME
AND WHEN OFFICERS FIRST ARRIVED,
THEY SAY THE YOUNG MAN FIRED
DOWN ON THE POLICE FROM THAT
WINDOW, AND THAT’S HOW THE
OFFICER WAS KILLED. NOW WE HAVE
SOME SURVEILLANCE VIDEO TO SHOW
THE CHAOS THAT ENSUED
THEREAFTER. OFFICER DOWN AND
JOIN MARLOWE JOINING MARLOWE.
THE FIRST CALL WENT OUT JUST
BEFORE 7:30 P.M. LAST NIGHT,
SHOTS FIRED AND AUTO REPAIR SHOP
AT THE CORNER HAD ITS CAMERA
ROLLING. AS THE FIRST OFFICERS
ARRIVED. YOU CAN SEE ONE WITH
HIS WEAPON DRAWN IN FRONT OF THE
WHITE BUILDING HERE IN AN
UNMARKED DETROIT POLICE SCOUT
CAR BACKS UP INTO FRAME
EVERYBODY NOW, AS OTHER OFFICERS
ARRIVED, THEY START MOVING
TOWARD THE INTERSECTION OF JOY
AND MARLO AND YOU’LL SEE HERE
THE DANGER OF THE GUNMAN. BEING
OBVIOUS. AT LEAST A DOZEN
OFFICERS TURN. HE’LL START
RUNNING IN THE OPPOSITE
DIRECTION. LOOKING FOR COVER
TAKES A WHILE, BUT THEN OFFICERS
AS A GROUP CAUTIOUSLY BEGIN
MOVING TOWARD THE GUNFIRE IN THE
SCENE. THE CAMERAS DON’T SHOW
THE INTERACTION BETWEEN OFFICER
COURTS AND THE GUNMAN. A SECOND
CAMERA VIEW SHOWS THE IMMEDIATE
POLICE RESPONSE IS THE CALL WENT
OUT FOR POLICE BACKUP AND IT
CAME IN DROVES. DETROIT POLICE
CHIEF JAMES WHITE TODAY MADE IT
CLEAR OFFICER LAUREN COURTS WAS
MORE THAN JUST A GOOD COP. WE
ARE DEVASTATED, BUT WE ARE NOT
DEFEATED. WE ARE DEVASTATED, BUT
WE ARE NOT DEFEATED. AND WE WILL
NOT GIVE UP. WE’RE NOT GOING TO
BE DETRACTED. WE’RE GOING TO
CONTINUE TO ENFORCE THE LAW
CONSTITUTIONALLY AND GET THESE
TRIGGER PULLERS. THESE PEOPLE
WHO VICTIMIZE OUR COMMUNITY. WHO
VICTIMIZE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS OFF
THE STREET. NOW YOU’RE LOOKING
DOWN THE STREET AT THE
INTERSECTION AND IT IS RIGHT
HERE WHERE OFFICER COURTS WAS
GUNNED DOWN NOW THE CHIEF
TALKING ABOUT A RATHER HEROIC
MOMENT HERE BECAUSE COURTS
PARTNER. AMANDA HUTCHINGS IS HER
NAME JUMPED OUT OF HER CRUISER,
AND WHEN SHE DID, SHE WENT AND
SHE APPLIED PRESSURE ON THE
WOUND IN HIS NECK. SHE WAS
PREVENTING HIM FROM BLEEDING OUT
. THAT’S HER TRAINING, AND THAT
WAS HER PARTNER AND THE CHIEF
SAID THAT IT WAS A REMARKABLE
BIT OF HEROISM. BECAUSE AT THAT
MOMENT WE’RE TOLD THE GUNMAN
CAME DOWN AND OUT THE DOOR AND
WAS AIMING HIS GUN AT OFFICERS.
HUTCHINS WHILE SHE WAS PUTTING
PRESSURE ON THE OFFICER, AND THE
CHIEF SAYS THAT SHE JUST TURNED
HER BACK ON THE GUNMAN. ANOTHER
POLICE OFFICER CAME AND SHOT AND
KILLED THE GUNMAN. AS HE AIMED
HIS GUN AT HER, HE SAID. IT WAS
A REMARKABLE MOMENT, ONE OF THE
MOST INCREDIBLE THINGS HE HAS
EVER SEEN. AND IN THE MEANTIME,
BEHIND ME HERE, YOU SEE BALLOONS
THERE. A WOMAN CAME UP ONE OF
THE WOMEN OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD
AND PUT THOSE THERE WILL BE
TALKING TO HER COMING UP LATER
ON LOCAL 4 NEWS AT FIVE SO
REPORTING FROM DETROIT’S WEST
SIDE. LOCAL FOOD CAN’T BELIEVE
WHAT OFFICER HUTCHINS IS FEELING
TONIGHT, AS WELL AS THE OTHER
DETROIT POLICE OFFICERS. WE
APPRECIATE ROD. MEANTIME OFFICER
COURTS WIFE HAS BEEN IN CONTACT
WITH LOCAL 4 SHARING PHOTOS
TALKING ABOUT THE WAY SHE’D LIKE
HER HUSBAND TO BE REMEMBERED. HE
WAS MUCH MORE THAN A POLICE
OFFICER TO HER. THEY WERE
TOGETHER FOR 16 YEARS AND HAD
TWO CHILDREN, A 15 YEAR OLD SON
AND A NINE YEAR OLD DAUGHTER.
CHRISTINE. COURTS CALLS HIM AN
AMAZING DAD. HER BEST FRIEND
EVEN REFERRED TO HIM AS THEIR
BATMAN. SHE ALSO SHARED SOME OF
THE THINGS SHALL MISS AS SHE
WROTE THIS QUOTE. I AM
COMPLETELY HEARTBROKEN. ME AND
MY BABIES WILL NEVER BE THE
SAME. I ALREADY MRS HUGS, HIS
VOICE, HIS JOKES AND HIS SMILE
WITH THOSE EYES. REST IN PEACE.