DETROIT – A Detroit Public Schools Community District police officer who was shot during a standoff with a triple fatal shooting suspect spoke to Local 4 about the incident.
Officer Freddie Wilson took a bullet to his leg this week, but that pain was just the beginning for Wilson and his family.
"By me being there, (my pain) is something that you almost can't explain to anybody," Wilson said.
A domestic incident was reported Sunday night on Lamont Street in Detroit. Police said Lance Smith became violent during a heated argument with his girlfriend, Cynthia Williams. Williams was scared and called her mother, Barbara Williams, who called her sister, Patricia Wilson, Freddie Wilson's wife.
When Freddie Wilson got to the home, his wife had already been shot. He tried to help his wife and got shot in the leg.
"I tried to save her," Freddie Wilson said. "I didn't realize that we were going up into something without understanding it was an ambush."
Smith also shot and killed Cynthia Williams and Barbara Williams.
"It was kind of dark, but we didn't see any muscle flashes, so he wasn't on the first floor," Freddie Wilson said. "We couldn't see him. We had no idea where he was. We just knew somebody was shooting at us.
"It's like you just lose everything once you're in that position," Freddie Wilson said. "I wouldn't ... want anybody to ever know what that feels like because it's something that you can never explain."
Freddie Wilson said he now has to help plan and pay for three funerals.
"The support from the city has been there," he said.
Click here to visit the GoFundMe page for Wilson's family.
Tune in as Detroit police Chief James Craig will be live in the Local 4 studios at 6:30 a.m. Thursday.
Family heartbroken by loss
"It's crazy how someone can take the life of three beautiful ladies," family friend Bernard Hart said.
The broken windows at Cynthia Williams' house serve as a reminder of what happened.
Cynthia Williams' mother and aunt went to her home to see what was going on, and police said they were met with gunfire before they made it to the house.
"They didn't go with any weapons or anything," Hart said. "They just wanted to see what was going on."
Officials said family members had previously broken up fights between Williams and Smith.
Investigators said Smith killed his girlfriend first and then fatally shot her mother and aunt outside.
Police were involved in a standoff for more than 12 hours, and three officers were shot. In the end, Smith took his own life.
"Nobody expected it to end like this," Hart said. "Nobody."
Here is a statement from the family:
