Detroit family searches for answers after police shooting leaves 23-year-old dead
Detroit family searching for answers after deadly police shooting
The family tells FOX 2 they’re determined to understand what happened. Martin Singleton is one of many mourning the loss of his former foster son, 23-year-old Martez Hunter Britt.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A Detroit family is hoping to get clarification on an officer-involved shooting on Tuesday night. A trooper was shot and sent to the hospital. Meanwhile, a 23-year-old was killed.
What they're saying:
The family tells FOX 2 they’re determined to understand what happened. Martin Singleton is one of many mourning the loss of his former foster son, 23-year-old Martez Hunter Britt.
"I met with DPD, and hopefully they would do a thorough investigation if they have all the evidence," he said. "And I don’t think they have all the evidence. And that’s the problem. That’s why I’m involved, because of my experience in law enforcement. I want to make sure they got all the pertinent information."
Michigan State Police (MSP) say members of their auto theft team were working undercover near the intersection of Murray Hill Street and Trojan Avenue around 4:40 a.m. on Monday, May 5.
MSP says during their investigation, a 23-year-old man from Detroit stepped out of a vehicle, shooting at troopers.
MSP shot back, and the suspect died.
"It was a bad situation all around. None of us in law enforcement wake up wanting or thinking that we’re going to have to fire on someone. But if it happens, we have to return fire," said Lt. Rene Gonzalez.
Dig deeper:
Singleton, who lives in Texas, says he was an officer for 39 years, but when he found out what happened, he immediately drove up and met with Detroit police, who are handling the investigation.
"They seem very professional. I have a lot of confidence in DPD," said Singleton. But there are a lot of questions that weren’t answered. They said they couldn’t share everything with us. But one of my main questions is, did you know they left the scene of the crime?"
That day, MSP said the trooper was shot in the leg, back, and vest and was in serious but stable condition.
On Tuesday, FOX 2 reached out to MSP and DPD for an update on the trooper's status. MSP responded:
"The trooper is continuing to recover. Unfortunately, we have seen some threats on social. Just waiting for some evidence to return and then the HTF will submit the results to the prosecutor."
DPD also replied saying:
"No updates on the case."
As for Singleton, he hopes the truth comes to light.
"It’s terrible because he was a good kid. And you know, we always hear the kids are bad, this, that, and the other. But this was a good kid. And that’s why I’m devastated. So is his mother. She’s devastated," he said.