In what authorities described as an “ambush,” a nine-year veteran of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office was fatally shot Saturday night while chasing a stolen car in Detroit.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard described the loss of Deputy Bradley Reckling as not only another tragedy for the department, but as one punch in a series of gut punches in recent years – which included three mass shootings, including one just a week ago – something ‘we obviously don’t want to have to talk about or deal with, but we did.
“It’s like a boxer. You wonder how many hits they can take and still stand,” he said of the department during Sunday’s news conference.
Bouchard stood before the media, trying to make sense of the loss while preparing for the investigation that would follow Reckling’s death.
Bouchard detailed the events of Saturday evening, saying that instead of giving up or running, the stolen car suddenly stopped on the city’s east side, several individuals got out and shots were fired, hitting Reckling, 30, in the head and torso.
“The car stopped abruptly. Individuals got out of the stolen vehicle and opened fire on our deputy. It was an ambush,” Bouchard said.
The vehicle pursued, a 2022 Chevrolet Equinox, belonged to a Rochester Hills resident and was stolen from Red Oaks Water Park between 1 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. Saturday, Bouchard said. Reckling was one of three detectives from the office’s auto theft unit searching for the vehicle in Detroit and located it before 10:50 p.m. at Park Grove and Schoenherr.
Detroit police and Michigan State Police flooded the area. Law enforcement quickly established a perimeter and three people were taken into custody. The Oakland County sheriff said he received a call about the shooting “within minutes” from Detroit Police Chief James White.
White praised Detroit and Michigan State Police in an article on X for their “swift and thorough response” to the shooting and said the homicide task force would lead the investigation.
White also offered his condolences to “the family, friends and colleagues of Congressman Bradley Reckling.”
“To our law enforcement partners in Oakland County, please accept my sincerest admiration for the courage you will continue to demonstrate as you meet the challenges of the coming days,” he said.
Reckling is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, and children ages 5, 4 and 1, and his wife is expecting another child, Bouchard said.
Bouchard said his staff has been through many challenges, including the pandemic, the 2021 shooting at Oxford High School, the 2023 shooting at Michigan State University, the shooting earlier this month at a fountain water and now Reckling’s death.
“At this point, our priority, besides getting justice from the criminal justice system, is how we support a family and an agency that has been crushed,” Bouchard said. “Things like this are heartbreaking.”
On November 30, 2021, four students, Tate Myre, Madisyn Baldwin, Hana St. Juliana, and Justin Shilling, were fatally shot at Oxford High School, and six other students and a teacher were injured.
On February 13, 2023, three students, Arielle Anderson, Alexandria Verner and Brian Fraser, were fatally shot at Michigan State University and five others were injured.
And on June 15, nine people were injured in a shooting at a Rochester Hills wading pool.
Bouchard also called for help for the family and more mental health resources for public safety officers.
“It’s been a challenge. It’s been a difficult task. Looking at our people and seeing their pain, it’s been hard on them,” he said, referring to the attacks in the county.
“We know that over the past several years, line-of-duty deaths have been terrible,” Bouchard said. “Ambushes have increased dramatically. Now we have another example. … The one thing most people don’t realize is that officer suicides exceed the number of line of duty deaths. their duties over the past two years.
“The pressure on law enforcement, on public safety in general, is therefore enormous, and it has harmful consequences.”
Bouchard said people wishing to help the family can make donations directly to the deputy’s family through Mission Oakland, an approved charity, and can encourage officials to increase funding to support law enforcement officers. ‘law application.
At the press conference, Bouchard read his colleagues’ statements about Reckling. Reckling, who recently joined the auto theft unit, was considered hardworking, helpful and “larger than life.”
“Brad was one of the most selfless co-workers and one of the most devoted husbands…there is no other way to describe him than the best person,” Deputy Nathan Rogers said in a statement.
According to MP Matthew Morrison, Reckling spent his free time renovating the family home for his pregnant wife and three daughters.
“Brad was an extraordinary husband, father and friend,” Morrison said in a statement. “He loved the outdoors. He was an amazing fisherman, he loved hunting deer, he loved expanding his farm and raising animals…”
Romeo High School, from which Reckling graduated, posted its condolences on social media.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Officer Brad Reckling, one of our Romeo graduates. Our hearts go out to his wife, Jacqueline, and his four children,” the message said.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she was “deeply saddened” by Reckling’s death. “My heart goes out to his family and the Oakland County communities he served,” she said on Facebook.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a statement that she was “shocked and saddened” to learn of Reckling’s death and offered her condolences to his family.
“Law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep us safe. This is a senseless killing and a terrible loss for our entire community,” McDonald said in the statement. “This is also another tragedy caused by gun violence, which continues to take a significant toll on our community.”
State Rep. Kelly Breen, chairwoman of the House Judiciary Committee, also released a statement Sunday: “The death of any first responder in the line of duty is a tragedy, but following in the footsteps of officers faced with The recent mass shooting in Rochester Hills is a tragedy. horrible,” the Novi Democrat said in the statement. “While this is cold comfort, I am pleased that Michigan State Police personnel were able to make arrests quickly, and I hope that the accused will be quickly brought to justice.
“My heart goes out to Detective Reckling’s family and all the brave men and women of the Sheriff’s Department who continue to risk their lives to keep our hometowns safe.”
mjohnson@detroitnews.com
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