Detroit Police Chief James E. White said four responding officers engaged and killed the shooter, Ehmani Mac Davis, as he approached the wounded officer and his partner in what investigators believe was an attempt to carry out more attacks . Police have not determined the shooter’s motive.
Officer Lauren Courts, 40, and his partner had just arrived at the 911 call and were still in their patrol car when Davis opened fire from an upstairs window, striking Courts, White said.
“Honestly, we were robbed. We were robbed by one of our heroes. And we should all be outraged. We should be outraged. This is unacceptable,” White said.
Courts, a five-year veteran and the son of a retired Detroit police officer, leaves behind a wife and two children. Courts’ father “loved his city so much that he encouraged his son to join the Detroit Police Department to carry on his legacy,” White said.
The incident happened on Wednesday evening. The 911 call was made around 7:30 p.m. Courts, who was in the driver’s seat of the patrol car, was shot about 10 minutes later.
After he was shot, Courts put the car in reverse and he and his partner, Officer Amanda Hudgens, jumped out of the car to take cover, “but he had already hit a major artery and was dying,” White said. Courts collapsed and Hudgens began applying pressure to his wound.
Less than two minutes after shooting Courts, Davis went downstairs and pointed a 7.62 semiautomatic Draco handgun with a banana clip at the two officers, said Detroit Police Professional Standards Director Chris Graveline. This weapon is similar in caliber to an AK-47 and is designed to fire, in rapid succession, multiple rounds, Graveline added.
The police chief said Hudgens saw the shooter and quickly had to decide whether to continue applying pressure to Courts’ wound or challenge the shooter.
“She made a choice that a lot of people in the same circumstances would say they would make, but it’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone do that. She prepared herself to be shot in the back of the head or in the back while she administered first aid,” White said.
“He (Davis) was advancing on her with an assault rifle (sic). She’s doing first aid … she looks back, braces herself and continues to apply direct pressure,” he added.
At the same time, officers shot and killed Davis, ending the threat, White said.
White said the officers responsible “followed their training, acted appropriately and stopped the threat.”
White said Davis purchased the gun within the past two weeks. Police said a warrant was filed June 21 with the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office against Davis on a charge of assault with intent to murder
Courts’ wife, Christine, posted on Facebook: “This man was so much more than a police officer. He was an amazing father, my best friend, and the man I married. All the news articles talk about a DPD officer. He was so much more for me and the kids. Our Batman!”
“I’m devastated, I can’t imagine how we’ll live without him. My babies need it. I need him. I keep thinking that I will wake up from this nightmare and he will come home … me and my babies will never be the same. I already miss his hugs, his voice, his jokes and his smile with those eyes. Rest in peace dad, we will never stop loving you,” she added.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the family.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said U.S. and Michigan flags across the state will be lowered at half-staff on the day of Courts’ funeral and on another date the family chooses. “Michigan is devastated by the loss of Police Officer Lauren Courts. Officer Courts was a dedicated public servant and a proud resident of Detroit. Yesterday, he made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty,” she said in a statement.
The Detroit Police Department has lost nine officers in the line of duty since 2015, according to the Michigan Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
White said he needs lawmakers and the courts to “step up” because “it’s getting a little stale listening to what everybody’s going to do. It’s time to do it. We are reeling but resolute in our mission to protect and serve this community.”
“The reality is that this is beyond Detroit’s problem. It is a matter of country and relationship with law enforcement. This is, you see, anti-law enforcement talk.”
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