Detroit Police Department, Michigan
End of Watch: Wednesday, April 4, 2001
Age: 41
Tour of Duty: 14 years
Badge Number: 3430
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: April 4, 2001
Weapon Used: Rifle; AK-47
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 92 years
Officer Neil Wells was shot and killed while he and other officers were investigating a complaint of drug dealing in a partially vacant apartment building at Cherrylawn and Ellsworth.
Officer Wells was in plain clothes and wearing a vest. As he searched the building, he encountered one of the suspects and was shot twice, once in the chest and once in the side, with an AK-47 rifle. At least one of the rounds bypassed his vest.
Three suspects were apprehended at the scene shortly after the shooting. The shooter was determined to have been released early from prison after using a false name. He was apprehended after murdering Officer Wells and sentenced to 62 to 92 years for the murder.
Officer Wells was a member of a unit that policed high-crime areas, serving with the Detroit Police Department for 14 years. He is survived by a teenage son and a teenage daughter.