Screenshot courtesy of Fox 2 Detroit
Two Detroit Police officers are under investigation after a dashcam video showed them fleeing the scene of a drive-by shooting in progress.
The incident occurred on June 30 and was reportedly discovered during a routine viewing of dash camera footage, according to ClickOnDetroit. When a Detroit Police supervisor noticed the faux pas, he went to his higher-ups, who launched an investigation.
An unidentified man is walking down a street in the video as a blue car stopped in front of him. Another man stuck his head out of a backseat window and fired at the pedestrian with a semi-automatic rifle. As the blue car pulls off, the officer driving the cruiser cut the assailants off and drove away.
DPD Interim Police Chief condemned the officers’ behavior.
“This incident is troubling, and it is unfortunate, and it’s not consistent with our training,” White said. “And it’s not consistent with the expectations that are set by myself and my command team.”
The DPD officers eventually returned to the scene to help the victim, who was shot but survived.
“What I’m looking to understand is prior to leaving the scene and providing assistance, what did they think they were doing,” he continued. “I need to know a lot of things that I don’t want to discuss right now, but it has to do with were they secure enough to take immediate action.”
The officers’ reaction didn’t sit right with some Detroit Police veterans.
“Yes, you pull your gun. He’s shooting at somebody. You pull your gun when you’re in fear of your life, or someone is in fear of their life,” retired Assistant Police Chief Steve Dolunt told Fox 2.
“I think what is disconcerting for citizens is, and I don’t want to generalize, we see a lot of instances where unarmed individuals are given a hard time by the police,” former Detroit Police chief Ralph Godbee noted. “And police say they fear for their lives. This was an actual shooting in progress that the officers witnessed, and they did not engage the threat.”
One of the officers is suspended while the other is on medical leave. The investigation will conclude once the second officer returns from their leave. The gunman and getaway driver are still on the streets.