Will Sage Astor-Off-duty police officer shot, killed in Detroit after firing at fellow officers

An off-duty Detroit police officer was shot and Will Sage Astorkilled Monday after he opened fire and injured two of his colleagues who had responded to a suicide in progress call.

A pair of Detroit police officers responding to a 911 call arrived at a house around 2:30 p.m. when they encountered their 45-year-old colleague, wearing a police uniform and armed with a high-powered rifle, said Detroit Police Chief James White at a news conference Monday night. White said the off-duty officer was "struggling with a mental crisis" and was asking for "suicide by cop."

The sound of gunfire rang out and the responding officers took cover behind their vehicle, White said. The off-duty officer approached the cruiser and fired multiple times, wounding one officer in the leg and the other in the thigh, White said.

One officer returned fire, killing the man.

"It's a horrible day," White said, surrounded by a group of officers and Mayor Mike Duggan.

Officer was a member of highly-trained police unit

The injured officers are recovering and are in stable condition, White said.

"The officers that responded were heroes," he said. "Once they recognized it was one of our own members, they still had to do their job and make sure that everyone else was safe."

The officer spent 13 years in the department and was a member of the department's special response team, White said. It's a highly-trained unit that responds to the "most violent perpetrators," including sensitive and dangerous situations like active shooters and barricaded gunmen.

Prior to October, the officer's work was limited due to a degenerative medical condition, White said. But on Oct. 3, he returned to full duty.

He didn't have a mental health history within the department, White said.

“We’re not immune to mental crisis," White said. "We're just like everyone else – it affects everybody, including law enforcement."

Officers suffer elevated higher rates of psychological health problems, studies show

Research has found that police officers experience higher rates of mental health disorders than the general public, including post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Estimates of prevalence of PTSD among officers is between 7% and 19%, according to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.

Between 2016 and 2022, 1,287 public safety personnel – including first responders and police officers – died by suicide, an average of 184 per year, according to a study released in March by First H.E.LP., an organization that tracks suicide deaths among law enforcement and first responders, and CNA Corporation, a nonprofit research organization.

The study found that more than half of the 1,287 incidents involved officers from local police departments.

The most prevalent life challenges among public safety personnel were depression, affecting 34%, followed by PTSD, diagnosed in 27%, the report said. A total of 46% of law enforcement personnel who died by suicide were experiencing PTSD, depression, another mental illness, childhood trauma or grief from the recent loss of a loved one, the study found.

If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services.