DETROIT — A 26-year-old man was charged Sunday with buying a firearm that police say a 19-year-old later used to fatally shoot a Detroit police officer last week.
U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said the Detroit man is charged with making a false statement in the acquisition of the firearm. He appeared in federal court Sunday and is being held until a detention hearing on Tuesday, according to a news release from prosecutors. It was unclear Sunday if the man has a defense attorney who could comment on his behalf.
Officer Loren Courts, 40, died after he and his partner were “ambushed” on Wednesday night as they responded to a report of a man firing a weapon, Detroit Police Chief James White said. Police say the gunman, Ehmani Davis, 19, was fatally shot by another officer as Courts’ partner was rendering medical aid to Courts.
Ison said investigators traced the firearm used in the crime and determined the 26-year-old bought it at a Michigan gun store last month, where he said he was buying it for himself. He was later seen on surveillance video meeting with Davis in a nearby parking lot.
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