Police Officer Richard L. Fortin

Richard L. Fortin

Police Officer Richard Fortin drowned at 3:38 p.m. while attempting to rescue four people from a boat that had capsized in the Detroit River outside Detroit's Renaissance Center.

He was wearing a wetsuit during the rescue but did not have on breathing apparatus. The four people in the capsized boat were rescued by nearby boaters.

Officer Fortin had served with the Detroit Police Department for 23 years and was a member of the department's volunteer diving team. He is survived by his wife, daughter, two sons, and mother.