DETROIT – Detroit Police Chief James Craig said the suspect in a shooting that killed one of his officers this week is connected to at least three other recent shootings.
A 16-year veteran of the force, Rasheen McClain, 46, was killed Wednesday night when a man opened fire on him and three other officers at a home in the 20000 block of Wyoming Avenue.
Craig said the 28-year-old suspect, who was shot by officers outside the home, is recovering from his injuries.
“We haven’t gotten a signature on a warrant yet for murder, but he is in custody on a parole violation,” said Craig.
The chief said on Thursday that the suspect has a long criminal history dating back to when he was 14 years old. He was first arrested for a home invasion as a teenager, police said. A series of violent crimes ultimately landed him in prison, where he served eight years. He was on parole for weapons and assault with great bodily harm charges. Now the chief said he and his investigators believe he has been involved in a number of other incidents including recent shootings within the past two weeks.
“We believe he is involved in a number of other incidents, shooting incidents, in fact,” said Craig on Friday. “He is a person of interest in a shooting incident that took place this past Monday where two people were shot, one was fatal. There was a second incident on a Sunday where two people were shot, non fatal. We believe he is connected to that incident as well.”
Craig said there was a shooting at the Wyoming Avenue two weeks ago that this same suspect could be connected to.
“He’s also, we believe, connected to the shooting at the home where the incident took place two weeks prior. So, he’s really connected with about six separate incidents, when you think about it, or six victims. It’s troubling. He is a very dangerous person,” said the chief.
Craig said he was not arrested after the first shooting at the home on Wyoming Avenue.
“As we began to peel back that investigation, I’ll tell you, lackluster (effort). There should have been more follow-up made. I have launched and initiated an internal investigation because I thought more should have been done,” said Craig. "I’m very angry, and I’m even going to use the word troubled. I have initiated an investigation into this matter. Some people are going to be held accountable. "
Another officer, Phillippe Batoum-Bisse, was shot in his leg. Batoum-Bisse has been with the department for two and a half years and also served in the National Guard, according to officials. He is in temporary serious condition at Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit and is expected to recover.
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Prosecutor says warrant request may be presented next week
In a statement released Friday afternoon, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said they have not received a warrant request for this case but have been told by Detroit police that they should expect one by next week.
Meanwhile, Detroit police did submit a different homicide warrant request for this same suspect.
“This afternoon, DPD presented a different homicide warrant request involving the same 28-year-old Detroit male suspect in connection with a fatal shooting of a 31-year-old man, and the non-fatal shooting of another man that occurred on November 18, 2019 at 2:10 p.m. on Knodell Street in Detroit. The warrant request is currently being reviewed and a charging decision is not expected today,” reads the statement from the Prosecutor’s Office.