Detroit Police Officer Loren Courts fatally shot: What we know
Details about two men — a veteran Detroit police officer and a suspect wielding an assault-style weapon who were both fatally shot Wednesday evening — were emerging Thursday.
A police news conference was held Thursday afternoon at police headquarters.
Here's what we know:
At about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, the officer — whose name has not been officially released yet by police — responded with his partner to a call of a man firing a weapon, Detroit police said.
By mid-morning Thursday, the officer was being identified by officials on social media as Loren Courts, as scores of people, including police in other cities, sent messages of condolence to the officer's family and colleagues.
When the officers arrived, they were met by the suspect, who was armed with an assault-style weapon and fired in their direction. White said one officer was struck and his partner returned fire, fatally striking the man.
The injured officer later was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Slain officer praised
Detroit Police Chief James White hailed the officer who was killed while on the job near Joy Road and Marlowe Street as a hero, while also decrying gun violence in the city and nationwide.
"We lost a hero today," Detroit Police Chief James White said, adding the police department and the city "is grieving."
Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield called Courts' "untimely death" tragic and and an "unimaginable loss," noting that he "set out to protect and serve" and "we are humbled by his bravery and heroism."
Read more:
Police officer, suspect die in shooting near Joy Road in Detroit
Rising mortgage rates are impacting metro Detroit housing market
Who was Loren Courts?
Few personal details were release about the officer, but the chief said he had been in the department for five years. He was married, had children and came from a long line of family who also served on the force.
His father, White said, recently retired from the Detroit Police Department.
Retired police chief James Craig said he remembers when he presented Courts, who was “cowardly" gunned down last night, with his police badge five years ago.
“This is another tragedy for one of our heroes, and what I consider as a family member of mine," he added. "This happens too often, more often today than I've seen throughout my entire policing career."
Craig said the number of officers killed by gunfire is up 17% nationally since last year.
Dispatch audio
Clips of the police dispatch call of the fatal shootings, which was reported by the Detroit News, recounts some of the conversation after the shooting.
"All units, officer down at Joy and Marlowe, Joy and Marlowe," a man says.
A woman responds, with urgency in her voice: "We need everybody now!"
Other voices are audible, saying they are "en route" to the scene, and someone notes that shots were fired from an AK-47, which police later identify as a Draco, a Romanian variant of the gun.
Social media posts
Even though there is not been an official confirmation of the officer's name, it is circulating on social media. Kristine Courts, his widow, offered a heart felt Facebook early Thursday.
More: Wife of fatally shot Detroit police officer Loren Courts speaks out: I'm 'completely heartbroken'
"My babies need him. I need him," she said of her husband, adding details that described him as more than a police officer. "I keep thinking I’m going to wake up from this nightmare and he’s going to come home."
Officials offer sympathy
Wayne County Executive Warren Evans expressed his condolences "to the family, friends and colleagues" of Courts in a Facebook post, calling him "a second-generation police officer" and "dedicated member" of the force.
Evans added: "He leaves to cherish his memory his loving wife and two children. Wayne County sends our prayers."
And in a statement, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel also offered condolences.
The state's top law enforcement official added: "May we honor and remember him as a hero and recognize the sacrifice those in law enforcement make on a daily basis to protect our communities."
Police ID the weapon
A police spokesman said the gun used to shoot the officer is described as a Romanian variant of the Soviet AK-47 rifle, according to a gun review by Gunivore, an online gun website.
The Draco, the review said, comes with a with a 12.25-inch barrel, instead of the standard 16-inch of its original Soviet counterpart.
It has no shoulder stock, "which makes it exceptionally small and compact," the review said, adding that "since it is stockless, it is legally considered a pistol in the United States."
The review includes a video of the weapon shooting watermelons.
Staff writers Emma Stein, Jasmin Barmore, Andrea May Sahouri and the Associated Press contributed. Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Police Officer Loren Courts fatally shot: What we know
