'It was an ambush': Michigan sheriff's deputy, father of 3, shot dead as community deals with 'soul-crushing' loss



A Michigan sheriff's deputy – who is also a father of three young children – was shot and killed in an alleged ambush. Those in the community say the police officer's murder is a "soul-crushing" death.

Oakland County Sheriff's Deputy Bradley Reckling – a 30-year-old father of three – had been trailing a reported stolen vehicle on Saturday night in Detroit. The alleged stolen vehicle – a 2022 Chevy Equinox – was reportedly stolen earlier in the day from the Red Oaks Waterpark in Madison Heights.

Reckling – a member of the department's auto theft unit – was following the car in an unmarked law enforcement vehicle.

Suddenly, the stolen vehicle reportedly stopped, the individuals exited the car, and shot Reckling.

“The car suddenly stopped. Individuals exited that stolen vehicle and opened fire on our deputy. It was an ambush. That obviously triggered a whole bunch of things. The deputy was struck in the head, struck in the chest, the torso area. At 22:50 the officer down call went out. Obviously Detroit police and MSP flooded the area very quickly I’d like to thank and commend them for that," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said at a press conference on Sunday.

Police arrested three individuals believed to have been involved in the murder ofDeputy Reckling.

Bouchard stated, "They were doing what they do, being good detectives running down a lead on a car that had recently been stolen and trying to locate it. They do that every day, and lots of times they find a car abandoned and they call for a tow truck. This situation turned out not to be that at all. And that's the other thing about this job. You don't know what day will become that day."

Reckling was married with three children ages 5, 4, and 1. He was expecting a fourth child with his wife before his sudden death.

Reckling had been with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office for nine years.

"You can just see in the faces and the eyes of our people how soul-crushing this is," Bouchard said.

Bouchard asked for prayers and donations to the Mission Oakland charity to financially support Reckling's family after his murder.

Bouchard added, "Our mission is to be there for them."

Oakland County Sheriff's Deputy Matthew Morrison said of Reckling:

Brad was a loving husband, father, and amazing friend. He loved the outdoors. He was an amazing fisherman, loved to hunt, and enjoyed growing his farm and raising animals. Brad spent several months remodeling his home, giving his wife and three girls the best place to call home. Anyone who knew Brad knows it doesn’t take long for him to start cracking jokes and get him laughing. He was a great worker and amazing friend who would do anything for anyone. He was a prime example of what great parent, husband, and friends means, and he is loved by many and will be truly missed.

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Sheriff Bouchard Press Conference Regarding Deputy Bradley Reckling www.youtube.com

Felon on probation tells Chicago cop 'you will die' after shooting him in face; officers had confronted him for threatening woman at gunpoint: prosecutors



A felon on probation shot a Chicago police officer in the face and told the cop "you will die" — and it all went down after officers confronted the shooter for threatening and holding a woman at gunpoint at a Lincoln Park strip mall, the Chicago Sun-Times reported, citing Cook County prosecutors.

What are the details?

The wounded officer and another officer tried talking to Jovan McPherson after the woman he was with asked for help Monday, the paper said, citing prosecutors. The officer who was shot has since been treated and released from Illinois Masonic Medical Center, the Sun-Times added.

More from the paper:

Earlier Monday, the 21-year-old woman McPherson ended up kidnapping picked him up in Elgin so they could run an errand in the city, prosecutors said.

When the woman got a call from the father of her child, 23-year-old McPherson got upset, pulled out a gun and took her cellphone, prosecutors said. He allegedly went on to hold the gun to her side and threatened to kill her as they drove.

When they drove on Interstate 90/94 toward downtown, McPherson grabbed the wheel and forced the woman to get off the expressway, prosecutors said. The woman went on to drive into a strip mall before she parked and went inside an Ulta Beauty store at 1000 W. North Avenue.

The woman asked a store employee for help when McPherson followed her inside and began to cause a disturbance, prosecutors said.

However another store employee got the attention of the two officers who were in the strip mall's parking lot, the Sun-Times said.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Prosecutors said when McPherson left the store, one of the officers followed him, and then McPherson pulled off the officer's face mask, shoved him, put him in a "bear hug," and then returned to the store, the paper said.

Both officers followed him into the Ulta in an attempt to calm him down, but prosecutors told the Sun-Times that McPherson again headed outside and then went to the woman's car.

"I got a gun, too," McPherson allegedly told one of the officers while sitting in the woman's car, the paper said.

When the officer asked where the gun was, McPherson asked the officer if he wanted to fight and told the cop it was a "good gun, too," prosecutors said, according to the paper.

WBBM-TV added that McPherson also said, "Y'all not gonna get this; I'm too strong for this s**t."

More from the Sun-Times:

McPherson then allegedly pulled out a gun from under his legs. A struggle ensued as the officer tried to take the weapon away, prosecutors said. That's when McPherson fired a shot that struck the officer in the cheek, prosecutors said.

The officer's body-worn camera recorded McPherson shouting "you will die" after he fired another shot, prosecutors said. The injured officer was not struck by the second bullet. He was eventually able to take the gun away from McPherson as other officers arrived, prosecutors said.

Once in custody, McPherson claimed the officers had fired at him first, but only two shell casings were recovered at the scene and neither officer had fired their weapons, prosecutors said.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Accidental shot?

The paper said an assistant public defender floated a narrative that McPherson may have fired the shot accidentally during the struggle over the weapon — but Judge Mary Marubio said McPherson's recorded statements demonstrated he intended to shoot the cop.

What happened to the suspect?

Marubio ordered McPherson held without bail for attempted murder and aggravated kidnapping and additional felonies, the Sun-Times said, adding that prosecutors said the suspect was on probation in connection with two cases — drug possession and fleeing and eluding arrest — in Kane County at the time of Monday's incident.

McPherson is expected back in court Nov. 9, the paper said.

Elgin Man Charged With Shooting Chicago Police Officer In Lincoln Park Shopping Center Parking Lotyoutu.be

NC community mourns loss of police officer Ryan Hendrix, Marine veteran and father of two, shot and killed on duty



A North Carolina community is mourning the loss of Henderson County police officer Ryan Hendrix, who was shot and killed in the line of duty. Hendrix, 35, was a Marine veteran and father of two children, ages six and nine.

Henderson County Deputy Ryan Hendrix was responding to a car burglary at around 2:50 a.m. on Thursday after a homeowner called 911. The suspect, Robert Ray Doss Jr., appeared to be cooperating with police officers at first.

The suspect "initially appeared to comply with lawful orders to show the deputies his hands...but in one rapid movement, he retrieved the gun, firing one round, striking [Hendrix] in the face and critically wounding him," Sheriff Lowell Griffin said during a Thursday press conference.

Two other deputies returned fire and killed Doss, a "career criminal with arrests in Georgia, South Carolina, Maryland, and Virginia," according to Fox News. Doss had a lengthy rap sheet, including crimes for drugs, multiple arsons, and felony thefts, Griffin said.

Hendrix was taken to the hospital, but later died from his injuries.

"It is with a very heavy heart the family of Henderson County Deputy Ryan Hendrix and Sheriff Lowell Griffin announce Ryan's passing," the Henderson County Sheriff's Office wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday. "Early this morning while the world slept, Ryan responded to assist a family needing help when they became innocent victims of a violent encounter."

"Even in passing Ryan continues to exemplify a servant's heart," the post read. "You see, Ryan was also an organ donor. He will continue to help strangers for a lifetime, even after making the ultimate sacrifice."

The Hendrix family released a statement that said, "Ryan was doing the job he was born to do and he died doing the job he loved."

Besides leaving behind his two young children, he leaves behind his fiancée, who he was set to marry in October.

Hendrix had been with the sheriff's department for eight years, and before that, he was a Marine.

Sheriff Griffin said Hendrix was "an exemplary officer who was also a member of the Henderson County Sheriff's Office SWAT team, serves as a field training officer, and assists in many other capacities."

North Carolina Governor Cooper (D) wrote, "Kristin and I are praying for Ryan Hendrix, who was shot and killed this morning while trying to keep his community safe. Our thoughts are with his loved ones, the Henderson County Sheriff's Dept. and the entire community."

"God bless the family of Marine veteran and Henderson County Deputy Ryan Hendrix, who was shot and killed in the line of duty," Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) wrote on Twitter. "Susan and I are praying for him, his family, and his fellow Henderson County deputies."

God bless the family of Marine veteran and Henderson County Deputy Ryan Hendrix, who was shot and killed in the lin… https://t.co/A1gocuKtar
— Thom Tillis (@Thom Tillis)1599944292.0

The Henderson County Sheriff's Office teamed up with the North Carolina Police Benevolent Foundation to create a fundraising page for Hendrix's family; 100% of the proceeds will go to his family.

Zechariah Cartledge is the boy who is the face of Running 4 Heroes, an organization that raises awareness and funds for first responders who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. On Sept. 11, Cartledge went to North Carolina to show support for Hendrix as well as the first responders who lost their lives in the 9/11 terror attacks.

Cartledge ran with Henderson County law enforcement members as they were trailed by police vehicles with their lights flashing and sirens blaring as a tribute to Hendrix.