A police officer is in critical condition after he was shot in the head while on patrol near a university campus in Detroit, but authorities said Wednesday he was probably not ambushed.
Wayne state police Chief Anthony Holt said a suspect is being interrogated in the attack Tuesday evening on 29-year-old officer Collin Rose, whose condition Holt described as “very grave.”
Detroit police Chief James Craig said Rose was on duty about 6:30 p.m. when he radioed to say he was investigating possible thefts of navigation systems from vehicles and that he was about to speak to someone on a bike.
Officers who arrived on the scene found Rose injured on the ground, Craig said.
Authorities say ambush-style shootings on Sunday left one police officer dead in San Antonio, Texas, and another wounded in St. Louis, Mo., underscoring fears in the law enforcement community that the uniform is increasingly becoming a target.
One-third of police officers shot to death on the job this year were purposely targeted by their assailant, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
But Holt said that wasn’t the case in Detroit on Tuesday.
“I don’t believe it was an ambush,” Holt said at a news conference Wednesday. “I don’t believe he was specifically targeted” because of his uniform.
A suspect who has had several run-ins with police is in custody, but he has not been charged, Holt said. He said no weapon has been recovered and the investigation is ongoing.