'Hero' Detroit Cop Dies After Car Wreck During Training Exercise

DETROIT, MI – "One of Detroit's finest" police officers died in a brutal car wreck at Michigan and Clark avenues Tuesday morning while he was participating in a training exercise. Detroit Police Chief James Craig said that Darren "Lucky" Weathers died of his injuries after being taken to Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

The crash occurred just after 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, the chief said. Weathers, who was in a police vehicle by himself, was hit by another vehicle. There were two or three occupants in the other vehicle, and they suffered minor injuries, Craig said.

Another officer, who also was participating in the exercise, was following Weather's vehicle and witnessed the crash, which remains under investigation. Details of the crash were not revealed Tuesday afternoon.

Weathers, 25, was only on the force for a year and a half, but had made his presence known, the chief said. He recently was awarded a medal of valor for his actions on the job and had been promoted to the Detroit Police Department's integrity unit, which monitors other officers.

"It's very difficult time for the Detroit Police Department," Craig said, referencing the death of another officer, Glenn Doss Jr., who in January was shot while responding to a domestic violence call and later died.

Craig praised Weathers' service to the city. "He truly is a hero and one of Detroit's finest," Craig said.

Weathers in December received the "Purple Heart" award for his courageous act to save his partner during an incident in April. After his partner, Waldis Johnson had been shot in the head by the suspect, Weathers shot and killed the armed man to protect his partner from further harm.

Last August, a video of Weathers was shared by TV news station ClickOnDetroit. In the video (embedded below) he is seen playing with neighborhood kids.

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