After cop killed, protestors say 'enough is enough' as gun shop stops selling Draco pistol

Marvis Cofield is afraid. He wants to set an example for his nephew and two grandchildren.

So he took them to a protest against gun violence in metro Detroit.

"They needed to see for themselves, hear the names of the people and families who have been impacted," Cofield said at the protest outside Eastpointe's Action Impact gun shop on Tuesday.

It's where authorities allege Sheldon Thomas, 26, purchased a 7.62-caliber Draco pistol last month and illegally sold it to 19-year-old Ehmani Davis for a profit of $50 outside a White Castle.

Davis is accused of shooting and killing Detroit police officer Loren Courts on July 6 with that Draco, a semi-automatic pistol similar to an AK-style rifle but cut shorter, according to the gun shop owner.

Davis was then fatally shot by other Detroit police officers.

"I'm tired of seeing our kids in the ground," said Cofield, 59, of Detroit.

His nephew, Floyd Shepherd, 14, of Detroit, said gun violence wreaking havoc among area youth has made him paranoid. Cofield's grandchildren, Germany Brown, 13, and Frank Stovall, 12, said they both would like to see more responsible gun laws and have felt traumatized by gun violence in their communities.

"Our grandpa brought us here so he could show us how to fight for our safety, how to hang around the right people," said Brown, of Eastpointe.

Related: Feds charge Detroit man with illegally buying gun used in DPD officer's killing

More: Arrangements for funeral, public viewing for slain Detroit police officer released

Thomas has been charged in federal court with lying about a gun purchase he made in June.

The shooting has sparked public outcry.

It remains unclear why the suspect fired at officers. Courts was shot while still in his police vehicle upon responding to a 911 call for shots fired. His partner, Amanda Hudgens, tried to save Courts by applying pressure to his wound, with her back toward the approaching gunman, while other officers shot and killed the suspect, police said.

Demonstrators outside the gun shop Tuesday held signs that read: "I hope to have as many rights as a gun someday," "Turn your pain into action," "No assault weapons" and "Gun reform now."

They also chanted, "No more Dracos!"

The owner of Action Impact, Bill Kocyk, confirmed that after last week's shooting, his gun shop stopped selling Draco pistols.

He said it's not uncommon after high-profile shootings for people to buy an increased number of the type of weapon used, and he believes that is not a valid reason to purchase a gun.

Public officials from Detroit, Eastpointe and Warren attended the protest, including Detroit City Councilman Scott Benson, Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey and Warren Councilwoman Angela Rogensues.

"The number of senseless murders all around the nation and in Detroit — we can't just stand by silently," Benson said.

Related: Slain Detroit police officer's parents: Loren Courts was a hero, family man

More: Detroiters mourn loss of officer Loren Courts, vow to bring justice and honor his legacy

Community activists were there too, like Malik Shabazz and Teferi Brent.

"Legally, Action Impact sold the gun. However, is it ethically right, is it morally right?" Shabazz said. "Because something is legal, it does not make it right. We must stop the violence — a gun should be for self-defense, not to attack."

Brent, 51, called establishments like Action Impact "the devil" for allowing Dracos and other high-powered weapons like AK- and AR-style weapons to be purchased.

"Anytime you sell weapons of war to people, you know there's high probability that those guns are going to be used to murder innocent people," he said.

"We have to understand that there is honestly something wrong in our society when a 19-year-old can first access ... those kinds of weapons and then murder the quality of man that Officer Courts was. Our brother should be here. We owe him some remedy. We owe him some corrective action."

Protesters called for a federal ban on the sale of assault weapons; the reversal of Michigan laws that preempt cities from regulating firearms within their jurisdictions; and a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives review of gun sales, gun crimes and training centers.

A 'tipping point'

After Courts' killing, Detroit Police Chief James White said the fatal shooting should be a tipping point in the fight against gun violence in the city. White was also adamant that civilians should not be in possession of assault weapons.

"He wanted to die," White said. "And he had an assault rifle that was recently purchased.

"An assault rifle that was recently purchased," he repeated with emphasis. "In light of everything that has gone on in this country, an assault rifle that was recently purchased. Counterintuitive that we would be selling assault rifles at this time. We can’t even slow that down.”

Protestors echoed White's sentiments Tuesday.

“As a community, as a human race, we have to look at ourselves in the mirror — we’ve got to keep fighting, and if we keep fighting, change has to come," said the Rev. Gloyd Curd, 54, of the Kingdom Grace Apostolic Anointing Ministries.

"Enough is enough. This was unnecessary, this did not have to happen. We're not just part of the struggle, we're part of the solution."

Detroit Second Deputy Chief Kyra Joy Hope made an emotional plea:

"We stand before these cameras when something bad happens, but we don't all stand together when we are trying to be proactive — we are few but we are powerful. My challenge for you today is to understand that police can't do it by ourselves. We need each and every one of you all."

Community demands solutions

White's stance also echoed calls from gun reform advocates and community members in Detroit who are working to combat gun violence.

"I could see why the chief takes that position," said Dujuan Zoe, a community organizer working to curb violence on the city's west side.

"These assault weapons are for war — unless you plan on going to war, I don't see why it's needed. It's a potential risk for carnage. Is it worth the entertainment?"

In working with youth in the west side, Zoe said, he notices hyper-masculinity glorified on social media, often steering youths toward firearms.

"Every boy wants to be a man," said Zoe, 40. "When they aren’t given the tools to process what’s going on in the world around them ... what they see, they imitate."

For communities to heal from gun violence, Zoe believes more needs to be invested in people, consistent engagement, culturally relevant mental health resources, economic opportunities and education.

Bishop Daryl Harris, of Total Life Christian Ministries and the anti-violence group Ceasefire Detroit, agrees. Ceasefire Detroit attempts to intervene in conflict and crime in hopes of steering people away from the criminal justice system..

But until investment, engagement, intervention and prevention happen on a large scale, "We’re losing people left and right," he said. "We’re losing kids. We in America. It's guns everywhere. Ain't no telling who got assault rifles. What do you expect?"

Gun shop owner: 'We're not the bad guys'

Kocyk said that despite the protest outside his shop, "we're not the bad guys."  He cited problems with background checks, which he says don't always catch everything. He also said his shop provides trainings and educational opportunities.

As for gun advocates, they continue to say bans don't work.

"No ban is going to stop those guns from existing," said Nate DeWeerd, president of the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners. "If you're already of the mindset that you're going to shoot a police officer, chances are you can put your hands on one of the millions of guns already in circulation, including semiautomatic, so-called assault rifles.

"It's too late. Pandora's box is open. Guns exist. So now we have to deal with that fact, and move on."

But Lisa Baker, who owns a gun and promotes responsible gun ownership, said she believes guns like Dracos shouldn't be available to everyday citizens.

"It's too much, every day when you turn out the news, it's always something."

Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. She can be contacted at asahouri@freepress.com or on Twitter @andreamsahouri. 

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: After killing of officer Loren Courts, protestors demand gun control