Detroit ‘hero’ cop, man with assault-style weapon fatally shot

A “hero” Detroit police officer was gunned down on the job Wednesday when a suspect wielding an assault-style weapon fired at responding cops – yet another example of “outrageous” gun violence plaguing the country, an exasperated police chief said.

The officer, a five-year vet whose identity wasn’t immediately released, was struck late Wednesday when responding to a call of shots fired on the city’s west side. The gunman was also fatally shot, Detroit police chief James White told reporters.

“We lost a hero today,” White said. “The department and the city is grieving.”

The officer’s father had recently retired as a Detroit police officer, White said. The chief said violence against officers in the US has gotten out of hand.

“The violence in this country is outrageous,” White continued. “The assaults against police officers is outrageous. And tonight, we lost a hero in our department.”

White said the fallen officer had paid the “ultimate sacrifice” to protect his community.

“And officers are doing it even right now after this call,” the chief said. “Enough is enough … this did not have to happen.”

Informing the officer’s family was especially difficult, White said.

“They’re heartbroken, their soul is crushed,” he said. “This is the worst day of their life. And Dad’s not coming home, a husband is not coming home. And it’s unacceptable, it’s absolutely unacceptable.”

Mayor Mike Duggan echoed White’s take, decrying the amount of violence plaguing Detroit and beyond.

“The senseless violence ravaging our country has hit far too close to home tonight,” Duggan said in a statement. “We owe a debt of gratitude to our fallen officer, a debt that we can never repay. He gave his life to serve his city and keep his fellow Detroiters safe.”

No other injuries were reported in the shooting, which occurred after a suspect began firing an “assault-style rifle,” a Detroit police spokesman told The Post early Thursday. An investigation is ongoing.