A 16-year veteran of the Detroit Police Department, Officer Rasheen McClain was shot and killed on November 20, 2019, while responding to a call about an armed man who had broken into a home on Wyoming Avenue. McClain and his partner, Officer Phillippe Batoum-Bisse, were among the officers who entered the residence to search for the suspect.
As the officers made their way to the basement, the suspect, who was lying in wait, opened fire. McClain was fatally wounded when a bullet struck him in the neck. His partner, Batoum-Bisse, was shot in the ankle but survived. Other officers at the scene returned fire, hitting the suspect in the arm. The gunman managed to flee the house but was apprehended by police about a block away.
The man arrested and charged in connection with the fatal shooting was 28-year-old JuJuan Parks. At the time of the incident, Parks was on parole and had a significant and violent criminal history. In addition to the murder of Officer McClain, he was also a suspect in another recent murder and at least two other shootings in Detroit.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy later announced that Parks would face 16 charges for the incident, including first-degree premeditated murder, murder of a police officer, and three counts of assault with intent to murder for firing on other officers. The tragic death of Officer McClain highlighted the daily dangers faced by law enforcement officers and the challenges posed by repeat violent offenders in the community.
