Accused cop shooter charged with killing WSU officer
A Detroit man accused in the nonfatal shooting of two city police officers was charged Thursday with killing Wayne State University police Sgt. Collin Rose, although the defendant has been deemed mentally incompetent and treatment aimed at getting him fit to stand trial has been delayed.
Raymond Durham, 61, is charged with one count each of first-degree premeditated murder, murder of a peace officer and possession of a firearm by a felon, and two counts of felony firearm in connection with Rose’s Nov. 22 shooting.
“This will bring a sense of closure to the family, our officers and the Wayne State University community at large,” university police Chief Anthony Holt said at a news conference announcing the charges. “This is a solemn time, not one of celebration, as our department is still recovering, but it does provide some comfort.”
In a separate case, Durham was charged in March with shooting two Detroit officers from 3rd Precinct Special Operations near Ash and Tillman on Detroit’s west side. When he was arraigned, Durham was referred for a competency exam. His family said he suffers from mental health issues and was homeless.
Judge Kenneth King of 36th District Court conducted a hearing Thursday on the results of Durham’s competency exam in the nonfatal shootings.
A July 17 doctor’s report found Durham not mentally competent to stand trial, attorney Gabi Silver told the judge.
Co-defense counsel David Cripps added: “(The doctor) does believe there’s a probability he can be restored to competency with the appropriate therapeutic intervention.”
However, Silver said Durham’s treatment has been delayed.
“Unfortunately, there’s a lack of bed space (in the state’s forensic center where defendants are taken for treatment). So he sat in jail for 90 days,” Silver said.
Defendants deemed not mentally competent to stand trial are brought back to court every 90 days for re-evaluation, Silver said. If after 18 months Durham is still found unfit for trial, prosecutors would have to petition a probate judge to have him civilly committed to a maximum security hospital.
“We want to get him treatment so we can move forward,” King said.
Because King ordered Durham returned to the Forensic Center in Ypsilanti, the defendant was not arraigned on the charges in Rose’s death, said Maria Miller, a spokeswoman for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office. Instead, Durham was scheduled to return to court Nov. 1.
It was revealed during Thursday’s hearing that Durham refused to take psychotropic drugs prescribed to him, although he told King he would take the drugs in the future.
“You can see by the way he presents himself: He’s delusional, he responds to stimulation that only he can see or hear,” Silver said. “He has some serious issues.”
Earlier Thursday, Holt, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy and Detroit Police Chief James Craig announced the murder charges against Durham at the school’s police headquarters.
“It’s taken eight months of hard, diligent work to bring these charges,” Worthy said.
The murder charges both carry a penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Craig said in March there was DNA linking Durham to the fatal shooting.
Rose, a 29-year-old K-9 handler, was shot in the head at Lincoln and Brainard while investigating thefts from vehicles in the area. He died the next day from his injuries.
Police arrested DeAngelo Davis, 31, shortly after the shooting. He was charged with first-degree murder, but Worthy’s office dropped the charges against him Dec. 7.
Rose, the first WSU officer to be killed in the line of duty, had been on the university police force since 2011.
Craig said Thursday the two officers allegedly shot by Durham in March are still recovering.
“I am hopeful the (murder) charge will send a strong message to anyone who would harm our officers,” Craig said.
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