On the evening of July 6, 2022, Detroit Police Officer Loren Courts, a 40-year-old male, and his partner, Officer Amanda Hudgens, responded to a call of a man with a weapon near the intersection of Joy Road and Marlowe Street. As they arrived around 7:30 p.m., they were ambushed by 19-year-old Ehmani Mack Davis, who opened fire on their patrol car from a building window.
The weapon was a 7.62 semi-automatic Draco pistol, a firearm Davis was not legally allowed to possess due to a prior criminal record.
Officer Courts was struck by the gunfire while still seated in his vehicle. Despite his injury, he managed to put the car in reverse, and both he and his partner exited to seek cover. Courts soon collapsed, and Officer Hudgens immediately began to apply pressure to his wound in a desperate attempt to save his life. As she rendered aid, the gunman, Davis, emerged from the building and advanced on the two officers with his weapon drawn. At that moment, other responding officers arrived at the scene. They engaged Davis, fatally shooting him. Officer Courts was rushed to Sinai Grace Hospital, but he succumbed to his wounds shortly after arriving.
The investigation into the shooting revealed that Ehmani Davis had a history of troubled behavior. His family had sought help for his mental health issues, but reportedly struggled to find adequate treatment options. Because he could not legally purchase a weapon himself, Davis had an acquaintance, 27-year-old Sheldon Thomas, illegally buy the Draco pistol for him. Thomas later admitted to being a 'straw purchaser,' falsely certifying on federal forms that he was the actual buyer when he was acquiring it for Davis, who had given him the money for the firearm. For his role in the illegal transaction, Sheldon Thomas pleaded guilty to making a false statement in the acquisition of a firearm and was subsequently sentenced to two years in federal prison.
Officer Loren Courts had served with the Detroit Police Department for five years and was the son of a retired Detroit police officer. His death left behind his wife and two children, a son and a daughter.
