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

The death of Detroit Police Officer Loren Courts has shaken the city to its core.

His family is heartbroken, unsure how to move on without him. The police department, equally devastated, vowed to never forget the fallen officer — a loyal friend and partner.

“We should all be outraged," police Chief James White said. "This is unacceptable. … We are devastated, but we are not defeated. We will not give up.”

The suspect, 19-year-old Ehmani Davis, was shot and killed by another officer after mortally wounding Courts outside an apartment building on the city's west side.

Authorities had sought an assault with intent to murder warrant for Davis from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office on June 21 — 15 days prior to the Wednesday shooting.

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The timing raises the possibility that the incident could have been prevented, and Davis could have been behind bars on the night of the shooting.

Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said his office agreed to authorize weapons-related charges against Davis after a June 9 shooting in Eastpointe, but the charges were being processed and had not been presented to a judge.

He said no one was shot in the incident, and no assault charges were authorized against Davis as the evidence didn't lend itself to that charge at that time.

Lucido said his office received warrant requests June 21 or June 22 and it has an average turnaround time for review of seven to 10 business days, not including weekends or holidays, such as the recent Fourth of July holiday. He noted police did not ask to expedite the charges.

"We started something now where, once we get a victim of a shooting or a perpetrator of a shooting, we look at 'should they even be out?' " White said. "Should they be out, should they be incarcerated right now? Oftentimes, we find they're awaiting their court date on a serious felony."

Prior to Wednesday, Davis pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor weapons charge and was sentenced to a year of probation, which ended in March, court records show. He had a pending misdemeanor disturbing the peace case from May and was scheduled for a pretrial hearing July 8, according to Eastpointe district court records.

Heroes

Courts and his partner, Amanda Hudgens, responded to a call about shots fired at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night. They arrived at the scene near Joy Road and Marlowe Street at 7:40. Before Courts could step out of the car, he was shot at from an apartment.

They were ambushed, White said, and they never stood a chance.

Hudgens kept her hands on his wound, maintaining constant pressure in an attempt to save him, even as the shooter approached her from behind with his assault-style rifle.

Hudgens was prepared to die to try to save her partner, White said. Another responding officer was able to shoot back.

"She's a hero," he said of her bravery. "She’s beyond a hero."

And she's not the only one — Courts is leaving behind a legacy as a hero, White said.

Courts, 40, had been a police officer for five years, and his father is a retired Detroit police officer. He's a father to two children.

At a Thursday news briefing, White declined to discuss Davis. He wanted to focus on Courts and the service he provided to his community.

"(Courts is) without a doubt a hero," White said. "We spend too much time talking about non-heroes, like this murderer who killed this officer. We will never forget him, his service to this community and we will continue to enforce the law in his honor."

Even as Courts' fellow officers are grieving, they are still serving the public, White noted. At Wednesday's gunfight, after giving medical aid to the officer, they turned to the man who shot at them and also tried to save his life.

A community in mourning

From family and friends to fellow officers to state officials, heartfelt condolences poured in throughout the day.

Courts' wife, Kristine Courts, posted a heartbreaking message on Facebook early Thursday.

To her kids, he was Batman. He was so much more than just a police officer, she said, he was an amazing dad and best friend.

"I can’t begin to imagine how we are going to live without him. My babies need him. I need him. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up from this nightmare and he’s going to come home.

"(We) will never be the same. I already miss his hugs, his voice, his jokes, and his smile with those eyes. Rest In Peace daddy, we will never stop loving you."

Larry Courts, Loren Courts' dad, is a retired sergeant of the Detroit Police Department.

"He's my hero, my dude. I have so much respect for him," Larry Courts told the Free Press at his Detroit home. "God needed him more than we did down here — my arms are too short to box with God."

At the corner of the building where the gunfight took place, someone left a white stuffed animal and balloons — two red hearts and an American flag. Across the street sat a newly placed pink vase filled with white flowers.

Darnell Jackson, 56, lives nearby and said he was with his 4-year-old nephew when they heard gunshots.

"It sounded like a cannon — boom, boom, boom," he said, noting they saw dozens of shell castings on the ground.

Now, his nephew is traumatized and won't go outside.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said her heart goes out to Courts' family and fellow officers.

"Michigan is heartbroken by the loss of Officer Loren Courts. He was a dedicated public servant and proud Detroiter who put on his uniform every day to keep his community safe."

Retired Detroit Police Chief James Craig recalled when he presented Courts with his badge five years ago.

“This is another tragedy for one of our heroes, and what I consider as a family member of mine," he said. “This happens too often, more often today than I've seen throughout my entire policing career.”

Calls for change

White called on the justice system, lawmakers, and the public to help end gun violence.

"I'm not mad," White said. "Mad is a useless emotion. I'm focused. This is unacceptable, and this should be the line. Whatever your tipping point is, this should be it."

Davis' gun was recently purchased, White said, and he's unsure whether it was bought legally. White said that, in his opinion, based on the evidence he saw, the gunman intended to take his own life by aiming at the officers and forcing them to return fire.

When discussing the possibility that this shooting and Courts' death could have been prevented, White criticized penalties that he suggested were perhaps too lenient and called for criminals to be held more accountable.

Davis used a Draco semiautomatic pistol, similar to an AK-47, but the weapon has a shorter barrel and is classified as a pistol because it has no shoulder stock.

The chief said, generally speaking, he doesn't think people need assault-style weapons.

"Regardless of where you stand politically on owning a weapon, these assault weapons are ridiculous in our communities, and they're causing death, period."

Wednesday's shooting is just another example of gun violence in Detroit — and America — that has become too commonplace.

From school shootings in Oxford and other communities to gun violence during a Fourth of July parade in Illinois, shootings are taking the lives of children and adults — and in some, the deaths have even come at the hands of police.

"(It's) getting old hearing about what everyone is going to do," White said. "It’s time to do it.”

Free Press staff writer Elisha Anderson contributed to this report.

Contact Emma Stein: estein@freepress.com and follow her on Twitter @_emmastein.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroiters mourn loss of officer Loren Courts, vow to bring justice