DETROIT (WWJ) — Detroit police are asking for the public’s help tracking down the person who fired shots at Detroit police officers Monday night.
The incident happened shortly before 8 p.m. on the city’s east side near Harper and Seneca, in the area of I-94 and M-53.
The officers had pulled someone over for a traffic stop and had the driver outside of the vehicle when two shots came their way, according to Detroit Police Chief James White.
Video released Tuesday afternoon shows the officers and driver taking cover behind the police car. No one was injured in the shooting.
Authorities recovered a shell casing at the scene and investigators were analyzing it Tuesday to see if they could find any leads on a suspect.
White said Monday’s incident was the third time in recent weeks that Detroit police officers have been shot at while "just trying to do their job."
“It’s absolutely unacceptable and ridiculous. Our officers are working very hard to keep the residents of this community — those who work, play and visit in our town, safe — and they deserve to go home safely to their families,” White said Tuesday afternoon at a press conference near the scene of Monday’s shooting.
White said one of the prior incidents involved juveniles who were suspected of carjacking a vehicle. During a foot chase, one of them took a shot, but the officer was uninjured and did not return fire because he did not have a safe backdrop, White said.
“The officer had the wherewithal to think about the community in the course of being shot at, which is just an illustration of the professionalism of our officers,” White said, noting both suspects were taken into custody and the weapon was recovered.
The other prior incident stemmed from some type of dispute and also ended with no injuries and two weapons recovered, according to White.
Detroit police are offering a cash reward of up to $2,000 for tips that lead to the arrest of the shooter in Monday night’s shooting. Tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP or DetroitRewards.tv.
All tipsters will stay 100% anonymous.