Police officer killed in Michigan, $37,000 reward offered for arrest of suspect

Corporal Mohamed Said of the Melvindale (Michigan) Police Department was shot and killed during a foot chase on Sunday.Melvindale PD/Facebook

A Melvindale, Michigan, police officer was shot and killed while responding to a 911 call about people loitering at a car wash on Sunday.

One of the suspects ran away and Corporal Mohamed Said, 26, ran after him. Authorities say the man shot Corporal Said during the pursuit.

Melvindale Police Chief Robert Kennaley said there was a struggle and the officer was shot and “killed instantly,” WXYZ reports.

The manhunt for 44-year-old Michael Lopez is ongoing. Melvindale police announced this in a Facebook post on Sunday afternoon.

Lopez was released on parole on June 22, less than a month before Sunday’s shooting. He had already served 12 years in prison for stealing a car and assaulting a police officer in 2011, the Detroit Free Press reported, citing court records.

A reward of $37,500 has been offered for information leading to his capture.

“The entire Melvindale Police Department is in mourning. We have lost far more than a colleague and more than just a friend. We have lost a family member. Corporal Said was an amazing human being who wanted nothing more than to be a police officer and serve this community,” the department posted on Facebook.