Man found guilty of first-degree murder in shooting death of police officer
By Paula Wethington, Gino Vicci
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DETROIT, Michigan (WWJ) — The trial against a man accused of killing a Melvindale police officer concluded on Tuesday with a conviction of first-degree murder of a peace officer and related charges.
Michael Lopez of Southfield had faced trial for the shooting death of Officer Mohamed Said in the line of duty in July 2024.
Lopez was also charged with weapons possession by a person, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine, weapons carrying with unlawful intent, five counts of felony firearm and fourth offense habitual offender.
According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, Lopez entered the Auto Zone at around 8:47 p.m. on July 20, 2024. Lopez allegedly entered the store as a customer, pointed a handgun at a store employee and robbed the store of money and knives before fleeing.
The ATF, Michigan State Police, Melvindale police, the National Police Defense Foundation, and U.S. Marshals were among those working on the investigation.
During the first day of trial testimony on April 22, Wayne County Assistant Medical Examiner Leigh Hlavaty had testified that Said’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and the manner of death was homicide.
The proceedings were marked by repeated disruptions.
Closing arguments started on Tuesday, and a verdict was read shortly after 2 p.m.
Court officials ordered Lopez to maintain his composure as the verdict was read. He nodded in agreement with the instruction.
The jury was then invited back into the courtroom. The jury returned a guilty verdict on first-degree murder of a peace officer and guilty on the related weapons and drug charges.
“It’s a happy moment,” said Mohamad Said’s brother, Ahmed Said, following Tuesday’s verdict. “We’ve been waiting so long; it’s been almost two years. Finally, it came to an end. Yes, we’re not going to get my brother back, but at least he (Lopez) gets what he deserves.”
Six uniformed deputies stood near Lopez and his attorney as the jury return was read. He remained quiet during the reading of the verdict and was then led out a side door.
“Policing is one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet. The alleged facts in this case will show that this defendant callously gunned down and killed 23-year-old Officer Mohamed Said, who was just doing his job and had just begun his career in law enforcement. Tragic does not even begin to describe what happened here,” said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
Lopez will be sentenced on May 18.
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