DETROIT — A Detroit Police Department officer has succumbed to injuries from gunshot wounds he sustained in the line of duty in 1996, according to the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners.
Officer Kelvin Patrick, 68, had served with the department for 19 years when he and his partner stopped their patrol car to speak with a pair of juveniles on May 24, 1996. Without warning, one or both of the youths produced a weapon and shot both Patrick and his partner.
Patrick’s partner was wounded in the hand, while Patrick was shot several times in his torso and chest. One of the bullets pierced his spine, causing partial paralysis.
Despite the injury, Patrick learned to drive with accessibility aids and continued to serve in the department for another 10 years before medically retiring in 2006.
He succumbed to his injuries on February 6, 2025.
“May his selfless sacrifice and commitment as a law enforcement professional forever be remembered,” the board meeting minutes state.
The offenders who shot Patrick and his partner were never apprehended, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
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