Holly MatkinLivonia, MI – Two off-duty Detroit police officers were found dead in a Livonia apartment after an apparent murder-suicide on Sunday.
Livonia Police Department (LPD) Captain Gregory Yon said officers were out on patrol in the area of Farmington Road and Six Mile Road on Feb. 19 when a family member flagged them down to request a well-being check, WJBK reported.
Officers entered a townhome located at Belle Creek Square in the 16000-block of Farmington Road at approximately 12:30 p.m. and found two people shot to death inside, according to WXYZ.
An infant found at the scene was alive and uninjured, according to police.
Investigators identified the bodies of the deceased individuals as 22-year-old Detroit Police Officer Maria Martin and 26-year-old Detroit Police Officer Matthew Ethington II, WDIV reported.
Police said Officer Martin had been shot repeatedly.
Officer Ethington died of a single gunshot wound investigators said was self-inflicted, WDIV reported.
Detroit Police Chief James White described the incident as “tragic and sad” during a brief press conference on Sunday afternoon.
“It appears to be domestic,” Chief White confirmed. “It looks like – preliminarily – a murder-suicide.”
WATCH: Chief James E. White provides an update on an investigation in Livonia. pic.twitter.com/iWXcdyVRub
— Detroit Police News (@detroitpolice) February 19, 2023
The child located inside the home has been placed in the care of a family member, WDIV reported.
It is unclear how long the baby was alone inside the townhouse or when the shooting occurred.
The Livonia Police Department (LPD) is handling the ongoing investigation.
Chief White said the incident marked a “sad day for our department.”
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, as well as our officers who you can see over there who are taking it pretty hard,” the chief added.
Details regarding the nature of the relationship between Officer Martin and Officer Ethington were not immediately released.
“Senseless tragedy. We’re going to find out exactly what happened as the investigation unfolds. Learn from it. Use what we learn to help some of our officers heal from this as well as prevent a tragedy like this going forward,” Chief White told WXYZ. “We just don’t know what lead to this.”
Both officers had been with the Detroit Police Department (DPD) for less than five years, WJBK reported.
Sandy Malone
