OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. — A deputy from the Oakland County Sheriff's Office was shot and killed in the line of duty on Saturday night, according to a press conference held by OCSO.
On Sunday afternoon, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard identified the deputy as Bradley J. Reckling, who had been with the department for the past nine years.
Reckling was married and a father of three children ages 5, 4 and 1, with a fourth child on the way.
Bouchard said between 1 and 5:15 a.m. on Saturday a 2022 Chevy Equinox was stolen from Red Oaks Waterpark in Madison Heights. The victim of the theft was a Rochester Hills resident.
Three detectives from OCSO's auto theft unit began the search for the car in Detroit. Bouchard said Reckling had just recently moved into this unit.
Bouchard said based on the preliminary investigation, Reckling had found the stolen car and was behind it when it suddenly stopped. Individuals then got out of the car and started shooting at him.
"It was an ambush," Bouchard said.
He said Reckling was shot in the head, chest and torso area and the call that an officer was down came in around 10:50 p.m.
Detroit Police and Michigan State Police were on the scene quickly, where Bouchard said they set up a perimeter and were able to take three individuals into custody.
"Things like this are soul-crushing," Bouchard said.
In the press conference, Bouchard emphasized the need for accessible mental health services for public safety workers to help them process and cope with events like this.
Bouchard said anyone interested in supporting Reckling's family financially should donate to Mission Oakland, a licensed charity where 100% of the proceeds will go to his family. He said anyone donating should put in the memo that the donation is for Deputy Reckling.
The Oakland County Prosecutor, Karen D. McDonald, released a statement about Reckling's death on Sunday afternoon:
“I was shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy Bradley Reckling. On behalf of all of the attorneys and staff at the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, we send condolences to Deputy Reckling’s family and friends, and we mourn alongside Sheriff Bouchard and everyone at the Sheriff’s Office. Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe. This was a senseless murder and a terrible loss for our entire community. It’s also another tragedy caused by gun violence, which continues to take a tremendous toll on our community.”
Anyone interested in supporting the family can donate to Mission Oakland, which provides services to bolster the community's relationship with law enforcement.
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