A police officer suspected of killing an officer of K-9

The St. Clair Shores police opened the shooting investigation involving officers at the Macomb County Sheriff's Office, they said.

The sheriff's office officials identified Gray as the suspect in the shooting. They also stated that they would not disclose any other information before the end of the investigation.

On Sunday, St. Clair Shores police said officers had responded to reports of a man in front of a banquet hall at Harper Avenue, about 11 km away, shortly before 6:30 pm. According to the authorities, about 70 people were in the room at the time.

The armed suspect reportedly ignored several orders of officers and fled.

K9, Officer Ax, St. Clair Shores Police Service. (Photo courtesy of Facebook, Richard Greiner, St. Clair Shores Residents Group, Michigan, courtesy of Facebook, Richard Greiner, St. Clair Shores Resident Group, Michigan)

Ax, a police dog, was used to track the suspect, who shot the dog with a handgun, police said. The officers fought back, hitting the man, they said.

The shooter and the K-9 officer died later, police said.

Gray has already been convicted of drug trafficking in Wayne County, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections. He served two years in prison and was released in May 2015, the department said.

On Monday, St. Clair Shores Mayor Kip Walby expressed sadness at the death of Ax on the city's official Facebook page.

"As Mayor of St. Clair Shores, I am deeply saddened by the tragedy that occurred here last night," he wrote. "We lost agent Ax K9, a dedicated member of the SCSPD.

"It's a blow to our department, especially for the Axis partner, for whom Ax was not just a partner, but also a family." In addition to being a police officer Ax was an ambassador to our community and was loved by everyone he contacted. "

Walby asked people to pray for the city and its police officers.

In addition, some organizations have launched fundraisers to buy protective gear for police dogs.

The Collin Rose Memorial Officers Fund began collecting donations on Sunday and raised more than $ 7,000. The association was created in 2017 to honor Collin Rose, the police officer in charge of kindergarten to grade 9 at Wayne State University, who was killed in the exercise of his functions on November 23, 2016.