Latest: Chief defends dropping charges in officer’s death

DETROIT – The Latest on the fatal shooting of a Wayne State University police officer in Detroit (all times local):

1:55 p.m.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig has defended the decision to arrest and charge then drop charges against a man in the fatal shooting of a college police officer.

Craig told reporters Thursday that police and prosecutors had “probable cause” to arrest and charge DeAngelo Davis with murder in the November slaying of Wayne State University officer Collin Rose. Craig says Davis was released Wednesday after the investigation “led us in a different direction.”

Police have released grainy videos of an “unknown suspect” riding a bicycle just before the slaying and running away after. Craig says Davis also was in the area and both he and the new suspect “have connections” to the bike, but Craig didn’t elaborate.

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This item has been corrected to show that Craig says it was Davis, not Rose, who was also in the area and is somehow connected to the bicycle.

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12:55 p.m.

Detroit police have released video footage of a new, unidentified suspect in the fatal shooting of a college police officer.

The grainy images released Thursday show what police describe as the “unknown suspect” riding a bike just before the Nov. 22 shooting of Wayne State University officer Collin Rose. The video release comes a day after prosecutors dropped murder charges against DeAngelo Davis and released him without explanation.

Rose died Nov 23. He was the first Wayne State officer to be killed in the line of duty.

Davis’ attorney, Nicole James, says police and prosecutors rushed to judgment when they arrested and charged her client. She calls Rose’s death “a tragic loss,” but says it’s “also wrong” that police arrested Davis apparently without evidence.

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