Detroit Officer Was Killed During Unapproved Training Exercise, Chief Says

Detroit police Officer Darren Weathers was killed as his team conducted a surveillance training exercise that wasn't approved by the commander of the department's professional standards section, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said Wednesday, and he may have run a red light.

It was initially reported that Weathers, 25, was conducting a training exercise in southwest Detroit when the crash occurred at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. But on Wednesday, Craig said it was uncertain whether Weathers, who died from his injuries at Henry Ford Hospital, was involved in the training, reports the Detroit Free Press .

"I can't tell you with certainty that, while this officer's team was involved in surveillance training, he may have been trying to meet up with the team or he could have been actively involved," Craig said.

Craig said there are two active investigations following Weathers' death: a fatal crash investigation and an internal probe.

The first will look into causal factors in the fatal crash, Craig said, and that is being handled by the department's Fatal Squad, because the incident happened on the streets of Detroit.

The internal probe will focus on the "actual training, why it was conducted, how extensive was it," Craig said.

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