OfficerBlueDetroit, MI – Blue Lives Matter published an article covering the death of Officer Doss as reported by FOX2. Officer Doss’ family now says that he’s still fighting for his life and FOX2 has deleted their report.
We apologize for contributing to spreading this false information and our thoughts and prayers remain with the officer and his family. Please help share this correction on social media.
Officer Doss’ father, Glen Doss Sr., spoke to the media to correct the report, according to WWJ.
“The information that was given out a short period ago that my son had passed away, that information is not true,” Doss Sr. said. “My son is still alive.”
He continued, “At this point in time he’s still critical. The doctors have been honest with me and my family. They state at this time his condition is 50-50; it could go either way. The bullet is still lodged in the back of his head, on the right side… He’s dealing with some real serious problems, but he’s a strong young man. I just wanna say that he’s a fighter, and I believe God could work a miracle because that’s what he needs right now.”
The shooting occurred Wednesday.
According to The Detroit News, police received a call at approximately 10:30 p.m. from a man who later shot Officer Doss.
During the call, the suspect told the dispatcher “he had just assaulted his wife,” police said.
A female at the residence – possibly the suspect’s daughter – made a second call to the police for help, and said that the man had a gun, and seemed to have had a mental breakdown, DPD Deputy Chief Elvin Barren said.
As police arrived on the scene, they saw the armed 43-year-old suspect outside who “took a stance whereby he was ready to fire a shot,” DPD First Assistant Police Chief LaShinda Stair said.
Gunfire rang out, and an officer driving one of the patrol cars suddenly realized that his partner, Officer Doss, had been hit as he sat in the passenger seat.
The wounded officer was rushed to a local hospital, where he immediately underwent surgery.
Officer Doss was struck twice by bullets, and another DPD patrol car was also hit, WDIV reported.
The gunman barricaded himself inside a residence, and at one point threatened “suicide by cop,” Deputy Chief Barren said, according to The Detroit News.
He negotiated with a SWAT team for a while before ceasing communication, and was finally driven out of the home with chemical agents at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Thursday.
The gunman, who had at least nine handguns registered in his name, was apprehended without further incident. Police said he had previously been arrested for drugs, but had no convictions in his criminal history.
The suspect’s wife claims he suffers from mental illness.
“He’s not that type of person. He’s not himself,” the suspect’s wife told WJBK. “He’s no evil person. I feel sorry and prayers to the family, but this just not him.”
Detroit Police Chief James Craig questioned why somebody who is mentally ill should have guns.
“If a person is a legal gun owner and at some point they’re diagnosed with some form of mental illness, there’s got to be a way to flag that,” Chief Craig said, according to WJBK. “I know this is something that we’ve had conversations, and I’m going to continue to push this – because we are going to be down this road again.”
Officer Doss was a member of the 7th Precinct Special Operations Unit, Detroit Police Commissioner Willie Burton said, according to The Detroit News.
“He’s a great, hard-working officer. Members often see him at community meetings, talking with residents,” Commissioner Burton told the media after the shooting.
“We’ve had too many losses in our department,” DPD Assistant Police Chief Arnold Williams said from outside of the emergency room doorway. “We’ve had too many injured officers. It’s a hard job and we’re doing it for the community. Sometimes people lose that respect.”
Officer Doss was the third officer to be shot in Michigan on Wednesday.
An officer was also murdered in Colorado on Wednesday.
Officer Doss has been with DPD for two years, and is the father of a 9-month-old boy. His father is also an officer with DPD.