The image of a bulletproof vest with two bullet holes in it and blood on the ground nearby flashed onto TV screens at a news conference hours after two Dearborn police officers and a suspect were injured in an overnight encounter.
Dearborn officials are lauding the work of their officers and giving thanks for their survival following the incident Friday, Aug. 21, amid an attempted arrest across three locations and city limits.
Preliminary investigation showed police were initially called at 2:15 a.m. Friday to reports of an argument with an individual in a tow truck who was waving a weapon at the Pantheion Club in Dearborn, said Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin at the news conference later that morning.
The location is a strip club.
The individual
in question – a 32-year-old Detroit man – didn’t cooperate and instead fled in the flatbed tow truck, Shahin said.
Police initially pursued the driver at low speeds in their marked vehicles, but for safety concerns, opted to end that chase and just have officers in plainclothes follow in unmarked cars, unbeknownst to the suspect, Shahin said.
Then, the driver pulled over to a Citgo gas station in the area of Inkster and Van Born roads, where Dearborn Heights, Westland, Romulus and Taylor meet.
When the man got out, officers tried to take him into custody, the chief said.
“I want to be clear, these officers have badges that are displayed, they're emblazoned with ‘police’ on their shirts, and they even have red and blue lights that they activate to make it very clear that they're police officers,” the chief said. “As they attempted to take the subject into custody, they were immediately met by gunfire, and two Dearborn police officers were then struck.
“Several officers on scene returned to gunfire.”
The altercation didn’t end there, however.
The suspect returned to his tow truck and fled, the chief said. As some officers tended to their wounded, others in marked cars followed the suspect.
The suspect threw two handguns out of the truck and ultimately stopped on a road in Inkster - later clarified by police to be the 2700 block of Stanford Road - where he was taken into custody, the chief said.
It was then that the officers discovered the suspect had also been shot.
He was hospitalized in critical condition.
The two officers were treated for gunshot wounds at a hospital, then released to recover at home.
One was shot in the arm and had injuries on his stomach as well. The other was shot in the shoulder.
“This could have easily been a fatal encounter with my officers,” Shahin said, as he had the image of the vest put on the screen. “My officers are very lucky. It's a small miracle that they're going to be okay.”
It’s a reminder of the dangerous work of law enforcement, the chief said, noting that the incident came just days after a volatile protest in the city.
Protesters, led by a far-right agitator, gathered outside a Dearborn City Council meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 18, expressing anti-Islam rhetoric. They were met with counterprotesters, with police on scene on horseback and in riot gear.
“My officers were yelled at, spit at, called all kinds of names,” Shahin said, later adding: “Police officers around this country go to work every day and night to make sure that we're safe. … I encourage you, if you have police officers in your neighborhood and you see them somewhere, thank them for their service.”
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, who also spoke at the news conference, said the city will work around the clock to make sure the families of the officers have what they need in the aftermath of the shooting.
“Our officers show up day in and day out without making any excuses,” he said. “They're out there, they're in uniform, and they're doing what they took an oath to do – to uphold the public good and to ensure the safety of each and every single individual that resides in the city but also patronizes the city.”
Details on the injured officers were not immediately available but both are seasoned officers, their chief said. Meanwhile, he said the suspect had a violent history and was released on parole in 2021.
The two injured officers were placed on paid leave. It was unclear if and how many other officers may be placed on leave as well.
Officials noted that the investigation into the incident is ongoing and that information provided at the news conference could change.
Michigan State Police are leading the investigation into the officer-involved shooting, as part of the city’s protocol.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What bulletproof vest shows after 2 Dearborn officers, 1 suspect shot
