DETROIT — On Tuesday, a jury in Wayne County Circuit Court convicted Michael Lopez in the fatal shooting of Mohamed Said, a corporal with the Melvindale Police Department, who was killed in the line of duty on July 21, 2024.

The jury found Lopez, 45, guilty on all 12 counts related to the killing of Said, who was 26-years-old when he was shot and killed while attempting to apprehend Lopez during a foot pursuit in Melvindale.

During the first day of trial testimony on April 22, Wayne County Assistant Medical Examiner Leigh Hlavaty testified that Said’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and that the manner of death was homicide.

In addition to first-degree murder of a police officer, Lopez was also convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, carrying a concealed weapon without a license, possession of a dangerous weapon with criminal intent, five counts of felony firearm, as well as possession of controlled substances, including methamphetamine (ecstasy) and cocaine in amounts under 25 grams.

“Policing is one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet,” said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy. “The alleged facts in this case will show that this defendant callously gunned down and killed 23-year-old (sic) 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.”

Lopez, a resident of Southfield, shot Said while officers were attempting to stop him near the intersection of Clarann Street and Oakwood Boulevard following a complaint from area residents.

After the shooting, Lopez fled on foot. A large-scale manhunt led to his arrest the following day.

During last week’s trial, Lopez’s defense attorneys argued self-defense, with the defendant testifying that he fired at Said because he feared for his life. Prosecutors rejected that claim, stating that the fallen officer had deployed a Taser in an attempt to subdue Lopez and had clearly identified that action during the encounter.

Video footage presented in court also showed that Said was not holding a firearm at the time of the shooting.

Throughout the trial, Lopez displayed repeated outbursts of anger. On Monday, court deputies were forced to remove him from the witness stand after he violated a prior court order prohibiting him from repeating claims already disproven by the prosecution — specifically allegations that Corporal Said had intentionally “targeted” his family.

Lopez had previously served a prison sentence on charges including assaulting a police officer, resisting and obstructing an officer and causing injury. He was released from prison in 2022, and his parole was lifted approximately one month before the fatal shooting in Melvindale.

Following the verdict, Said’s family expressed a sense of long-awaited closure.

“It’s a happy moment,” said Mohamed Said’s brother, Ahmed Said. “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.”

Corporal Said has since been honored in Melvindale, with a local elementary school named after him.

Lopez is scheduled to be sentenced on May 18 and could face life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of a police officer.