Heart-tugging words are posted by Detroit Police Officer Loren Courts' suddenly widowed spouse.
Kristine and Loren Courts (Photo: Facebook)
"I keep thinking I'm going to wake up from this nightmare and he’s going to come home," Kristine Courts, 37, says on Facebook before dawn Thursday after a stunning night. Her 40-year-old husband, on the force since 2017, was fatally shot near Joy Road and Marlowe Street on the west side. Another officer killed the 19-year-old guman.
The widow shares her pain on the screen.
"This man was so much more than a police officer," she adds alongside three snapshots, including one (below) in a "Black Heroes" hoodie. "He was an amazing dad, my best friend and the man I married. All the news articles talk about is a DPD officer. He was so much more to me and the kids. Our Batman!
"I’m broken, I can’t begin to imagine how we are going to live without him. My babies need him. I need him. ... I already miss his hugs, his voice, his jokes and his smile with those eyes."
The officer also is survived by a son and daughter. The post was shared more than 12,000 times in the first nine hours.
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Reactions from public officials are poignant as well. "We lost a hero," Chief James White says. City Council President Mary Sheffield comments: "We are humbled by his bravery and heroism."
Former Detroit police chiefs James Craig and Warren Evans, now Wayne County's elected executive, also voice condolences.
From Lansing, the attorney general posts:
Loren Courts in a pose posted on social media Thursday by his widow.
And in Detroit late Wednesday, Mayor Mike Duggan said in a statement:
"The senseless violence ravaging our country has hit far too close to home tonight. We owe a debt of gratitude to our fallen officer, a debt that we can never repay. He gave his life to serve his city and keep his fellow Detroiters safe. Our entire city is holding his family in our hearts."
Related:
'We lost a hero:' Detroit cop and suspect fatally shot on west side
Law enforcers cluster late Wednesday at Sinai Grace Hospital for news and possible blood donations. (Photo: Detroit Police tweet)
