Warren officer shot inside station

WARREN (AP) - A Warren police detective described as a "classic cop" was fatally shot inside the police station after a struggle with a drug suspect who police say then shot himself.

Christopher Wouters, a 19-year veteran of the force, was shot in the neck about 6 p.m. Wednesday by Ljeka Juncaj, a 29-year-old Sterling Heights man who had just been arrested with 400 pills of the drug ecstasy, Warren police Chief James Vohs said Thursday.

Juncaj then shot himself in the head with the 9 mm handgun he had pulled from the front of his pants, Vohs said, citing witness statements.

Breaking into tears, the chief described Wouters as a friend and the kind of officer everyone counted on.

"Chris exceeded the standards of his profession," Vohs said. "I will miss him deeply."

Wouters also had just finished first on the sergeant's test, and the department planned to honor him with that title.

"A part of us died last night," said Sgt. Kevin Sommers, a longtime friend and colleague who had played Little League baseball with Wouters. "You couldn't ask for a better guy, a better friend, a better officer. ...

"Chris was the best of the finest. He was a classic cop."

The men were shot in the booking area of the jail - where officers do not carry weapons for safety reasons, Vohs said. Wouters had gone to the area to question Juncaj after the man's arrest by an undercover drug unit that included Wouters.

While a uniformed officer took Juncaj's information, the man pulled a gun from his pants, and a struggle between Juncaj and the two officers ensued, Vohs said. Juncaj then pointed the gun at Wouters and shot him, Vohs said witnesses told police. He pointed the gun at another officer before shooting himself, Vohs said. There were two other prisoners in the room.

There is a surveillance camera in the booking area that caught part of the struggle - including footage of Juncaj pulling a gun from his pants - but the area is large and the camera didn't capture the actual shooting, Vohs said.

The shootings are under investigation. Juncaj apparently had been cooperative and didn't say anything before shooting Wouters and himself, Vohs said.

Juncaj was arrested in 1993 for carrying a concealed weapon. The charge was dismissed. He also was charged in 1997 with fraudulent activities, for which he received 36 months probation after pleading guilty to false pretenses.

Wouters died about 7 p.m. Wednesday at St. John Macomb Hospital. Juncaj died later that night, hospital spokeswoman Rebecca O'Grady said.

Sommers - who had been Wouters' partner early in their careers - was on duty Wednesday evening and was among those who responded to the shooting to find both men already shot, with a custodian and an officer administering CPR.

It wasn't immediately clear how Juncaj was able to get a gun into the booking area. Vohs said that was under investigation.

Sommers said as a rule, a suspect will be patted down once at the time of arrest, and usually again at some point after that.

He and Vohs said they didn't know what type of search was made of Juncaj.

This is the first time Warren police have lost one of their own in the line of duty since 1969.

"This is the saddest day of my 5-year mayoral stay," said Warren Mayor Mark A. Steenbergh. "He's a wonderful officer ... and now he's a slain hero."

Wouters had received numerous letters of commendations from the police department, including one for actions taken during a 1988 plane crash in the city.

Wouters, a 1980 graduate of Wayne State University, played baseball there. He led the team in batting average, hitting better than .300 during his four years, 1977-80. He was inducted into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.

Wouters is survived by his wife Valerie, two daughters, Taylor and Olivia, and a son, Evan. A funeral service is scheduled for Monday at St. Clement Catholic Church in Center Line. Burial will be at St.

Clement Cemetery. Viewings will be held from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.