Sheriff describes deputy’s shooting death during pursuit of stolen car – The Oaka Press

June 23, 2024

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said a deputy searching for a stolen car was shot Saturday night by three suspects who abruptly stopped the car, got out and opened fire.

Deputy Bradley J. Reckling, who had worked for the department for nine years, was hit multiple times in the head and upper body and succumbed to his injuries.

The 31-year-old married father of three little girls – ages five, four and one, with a fourth on the way – had worked at the Rochester Hills substation before joining the agency’s auto theft unit.

“It was an ambush,” said an emotional Bouchard, later adding, “… because of a car.”

The situation began after a Rochester Hills resident reported that his 2022 Chevrolet Equinox had been stolen from Red Oaks Water Park in Madison Heights.

Reckling and two other Oakland County Sheriff’s investigators searched for the stolen car in separate vehicles and finally found it at the corner of Park Grove Street and Schoenherr Street in Detroit.

Bouchard said the 911 call came in at 10:50 p.m. on Saturday, June 22, and Detroit police flooded the area and set up a hard perimeter for the search. Three suspects were later arrested. Bouchard said information on the criminal case will come from Detroit police.

He thanked the staff and leadership of the Detroit Police Department and other agencies who provided assistance on the scene.

“I was shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy Bradley Reckling,” Oakland County District Attorney Karen McDonald said in a statement. “On behalf of all the attorneys and staff of the Oakland County District Attorney’s Office, we extend our condolences to the family and friends of Deputy Reckling and join Sheriff Bouchard and all of the Sheriff’s Office staff in mourning.”

“Police officers put their lives on the line every day to protect us. This was a senseless murder and a terrible loss for our entire community. It is also another tragedy caused by gun violence that continues to place tremendous burdens on our community.”

The district board also addressed the tragedy.

“I am deeply saddened to learn of the shooting death of one of our Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputies,” County Executive Dave Coulter said in a statement. “Please keep him, his loved ones and his colleagues in the county in your hearts today.”

As the case now moves through the criminal justice system, the sheriff spoke about the impact the loss has had on the deputy’s family as well as his fellow officers.

Just last week, the sheriff outlined the need for more resources to help police officers handle all the pressures they face, from daily deaths on the streets to searching for suicidal people to major events like the mass shootings at Rochester Hills Splash Pad, Michigan State University and Oxford High Schools.

“It was a challenge, it was a challenge,” Bouchard said on Sunday. “And now this.”

He called on federal, state and county authorities to provide funding for peer-to-peer resources to help police officers process the tragedies they face in a healthy way.

Although he managed to create a single position in his office, Bouchard said one person was not enough for a department with nearly 1,500 employees.

“(They) continue to do amazing things every day,” he said. “You see these things every day. You can’t forget them.”

But now, the sheriff said, the main goal is to be there for the family who lost their father and husband.

His colleagues and his supervisor described him as a hard-working police officer. They also said he loved the outdoors, especially fishing, and that he had recently remodeled his home for his growing family. They remembered that he enjoyed laughing and joking with his colleagues.

To help the family, the sheriff said 100 percent of donations to Mission Oakland would go to them. If you write a check, be sure to include the deputy’s name in the memo.

Deputy Reckling wore badge number 1972.

Link: Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page