Detroit district security officer dies after fight near school

The Detroit school district is investigating the death of a public safety officer who died Thursday night, several hours after intervening in a fight near Henry Ford High School. 

Freddie Wilson worked in the Detroit Public Schools Community District for more than 20 years. The fight happened around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, according to WXYZ-TV. It is unclear if the fight resulted in Wilson’s death.

Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said Wilson responded to a fight down the street from the school on the city’s west side. 

“Our thoughts and prayers go to the Wilson Family,” Vitti said in a statement. “We are actively investigating the incident and request that everyone wait to pass judgment regarding the incident and his cause of death until an investigation is complete.”

Vitti said there has been no report of traditional weapons, such as guns or knives, being used “by what appears to be high school aged individuals or the officers who responded.”

The Detroit Police Department is working in cooperation with the school during its investigation, according to a police department spokesperson. The district has its own police force, which was rebranded this past fall as the Department of Public Safety.

Ethan Bakuli is a reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit covering Detroit Public Schools Community District. Contact Ethan at ebakuli@chalkbeat.org.