Got him: Manhunt leads to the arrest of the suspect who fatally shot a Michigan officer

MELVINDALE, MI - A federal manhunt has led to the arrest of the man accused of fatally shooting Melvindale Police Officer Mohamed Said.

According to reports, the suspect has been identified as Michael Lopez. He was arrested on Monday, July 22nd, at 6:42. p.m. in the area of Livernois Avenue and Otis Street. Several police agencies, including the Michigan State Police, descended on a home to take Lopez into custody.

Said was fatally shot by Lopez on Sunday, July 21st. According to Fox 2, Said was responding to a suspicious person call at a gas station near Oakwood and Dix around 11:30 a.m. when he spotted Lopez with several bags but no vehicle. Police said that the officer went to check to see if Lopez was homeless and needed help, but Lopez ran away.

Said chased Lopez and there was a brief struggle. Said used his taser on Lopez and in response, Lopez pulled out a gun and shot the officer before fleeing the scene. Once authorities took Lopez into custody, the handcuffs he was in were replaced with Said's cuffs before the suspect was taken away. 

While authorities walked Lopez to a police vehicle, he allegedly smiled and winked at those who were filming the arrest. After the shooting, ATF Detroit released information about Lopez on social media, saying he was "armed and dangerous." Lopez who is 44-years-old, was described as 6'1", weighing about 250 pounds.

Upon finding Lopez and arresting him, Melvindale Police Chief Robert Kennaley broke down when describing hearing that police had found the suspect. He said, "We got him," while breaking down into tears.

Said was just 26-years-old and had been on the force for about a year. He always wanted to be a police officer and to serve his community. His brother said, "It's really tough that we lost the oldest sibling in the family. We're heartbroken." Melvindale Mayor Nicole Shkira said in a statement, "I am happy that I caught him, and my officer can now rest in peace, and his family can be at peace knowing that the person that killed their family member has been caught.

I'm overjoyed. I haven't slept since yesterday as I was working with all of the agencies, including ATF, Michigan State Police, Wayne County, Dearborn, Brownstown, Riverview, Southgate, and Taylor, as they all came together as one, and nobody has slept yet. They worked tirelessly on this and they brought him into custody."

The arrest of Lopez came on the same day that family, friends, and community members came together to honor the life of officer Said. People came from all over to remember Said and support his family. His brother, Amhed spoke saying, "It broke everybody's heart. Broke my heart as he was my older brother and he was my everything."

The entire Melvindale community remembered Mohamed, who dedicated his life to serving others. A fellow officer said, "He was a heck of an officer. He never called in sick; he never took a day off. Sometimes, we couldn't get rid of him as we would tell him, 'Mo, it's your day off; go home and relax,' and he'd say he wanted to be here with the guys."

The fellow officer added, "Yesterday, when I went into that backyard and found Mo, it was the worst day of my police career. Today is the second worst day because it sunk in."

When speaking about the arrest of Lopez, Mayor Shkira said, "Two of my off-duty officers made the drive down to the scene with officer Said's handcuffs to finish the job that he had started." During a vigil that was held, a man said, "I want everyone to raise a candle up for Mo. This is for you, Mo. We got it from here. Rest easy, Mo."