Michigan man jailed for life over murder of Melvindale police officer

Michael Lopez, 44, received a life sentence without parole for the fatal shooting of Cpl. Mohamed Said. The judge said body camera footage showed no justification for the killing.

Life sentence handed down in killing of Melvindale officer Mohamed Said

A Michigan man has been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder of Melvindale police officer Mohamed Said, clickondetroit.com reports.

Michael Lopez, 44, of Southfield, was convicted on 28 April of first-degree murder and 11 additional charges connected to the incident on 21 July 2024. According to prosecutors, the confrontation began when Said asked Lopez to pick up a cigarette he had flicked onto the ground, and ended with Said being fatally shot in the head.

Lopez appeared before Judge Bridget Mary Hathaway in 3rd District Court on Friday for sentencing. He showed little remorse, claiming that Cpl. Said had been "unstable" and that he had "feared for his life" during the encounter.

Judge Hathaway, in delivering the sentence, stated that screenshots from Said's body camera clearly established "that the defendant coldly and callously shot Cpl. Said in the head without any justification whatsoever."

Family statements and courtroom disorder

Before the sentence was read, prosecuting attorneys presented written statements from the victim's family. Said's brother, Ahmed Said, then addressed the court in person.

"I'll never forget that morning, waking up to phone calls," Ahmed Said said. "I will never forget chasing the ambulance that carried my brother."

After his statement, Ahmed Said turned to Lopez directly and told him to "go to hell," at which point Judge Hathaway asked him to leave the courtroom.

Lopez himself was also temporarily removed from the courtroom prior to sentencing after he lashed out at both the judge and prosecutors. "You don't deserve to be sitting up there," Lopez told Hathaway. "Put that on the record."

Judge: verdict reflects overwhelming evidence

In her sentencing remarks, Judge Hathaway noted that Lopez had shown no remorse and that the jury's swift, unanimous decision on all 12 counts spoke "a great deal about the overwhelming evidence against the defendant and complete lack of merit in his claim of self defence."

"Cpl. Said deserved to come home safe to his family at the end of his shift," Hathaway said. "If Cpl. Said had not encountered this defendant, someone so determined to not go back to prison that he was willing to brazenly shoot Cpl. Said, then he would have."

Full breakdown of the sentence

Lopez received life without parole for the first-degree murder charge. For counts 2 through 7 he was sentenced to 5 to 15 years, and a mandatory two years each for counts 8 through 12, with credit for 683 days already served. Counts 2 through 12 include felony firearm offences, possession of firearms and ammunition by a prohibited person, carrying a concealed weapon, carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent, and possession of ecstasy and cocaine.

Lopez stated his intention to appeal the verdict. "I will continue to use the righteous system that is in place to fight the verdict," he said. "I'm not doing it to cause any more pain to his family and friends, but I'm doing it to fight for my life, like I did that day."

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)