Investigation Underway After Dashcam Video Shows Two Detroit Officers Witnessing a Shooting They Decided to Leave the Scene
“I’m not going to adjudicate the case publicly,” White said. “But I do have some serious police concerns about what we saw.” He said that after the shooting the officers did return to the scene and rendered aid.
In the footage, taken in the early morning hours of June 30, shows a man was standing outside near a street when a blue sedan drove up in front of him and someone pointed a semi-automatic rifle out of the rear passenger side door and fired at the man several times as he ran away.
In response, the officers in the car swerved and fled the scene. The man was struck by the gunfire in the leg, however, he survived. The shooters are still at large.
“If there’s any good news,” White said, “it’s that this was caught on the video review, which means our processes are working. It was brought to my attention by a deputy chief from a video review.”
The suspended officer is on administrative leave with pay as the investigation is ongoing. White declined to release the officers’ names. He said part of the investigation will include gaining an understanding of the officers’ state of minds at the time of the inident.
“What did they think they were doing? What went into their thinking?” White said. A final decision about the officers’ futures with the police department will be made once the officer returns from medical leave. White said the officers’ actions aren’t representative of the entire department.
“Individualized incidents do not represent the hard work of the over 2,000 men and women of this department that they do day in, and day out,” he added.