A deputy investigating a stolen car was shot to death Saturday night in Detroit, Michigan, in what authorities called an ambush.

Oakland County Sheriff's Deputy Bradley Reckling, a detective, was following a stolen vehicle when several individuals exited the vehicle and shot him in the head and chest, according to the agency's preliminary investigation.

Reckling was following the 2022 Chevy Equinox after it was reported stolen earlier in the day from Red Oaks Waterpark in Madison Heights, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said at a Sunday news conference.

The sheriff office's auto theft unit was looped in to look for the Equinox. Reckling was actively searching for and located the vehicle in Detroit and followed it in an unmarked vehicle. Two other detectives were nearby in their own vehicles.

The Equinox eventually stopped, individuals exited the vehicle and fired upon Reckling," Bouchard said.

"It was an ambush," Bouchard said.

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Three suspects were arrested, officials said

Detroit police and Michigan State Police quickly flooded the area, and three individuals were taken into custody, Bouchard said.

“They were doing what they do, being good detectives running down a lead on a car that had recently been stolen and trying to locate it," Bouchard said. "They do that every day, and lots of times they find a car abandoned and they call for a tow truck. This situation turned out not to be that at all. And that's the other thing about this job. You don't know what day will become that day.”

Deputy Bradley Reckling was a father of three, with a fourth one on the way

Reckling, 30, was married with three children ages 5, 4 and 1 and expecting a fourth. He had been with the department nine years.

"You can just see in the faces and the eyes of our people how soul crushing this is," Bouchard said.

Bouchard asked for prayers and donations to the Mission Oakland charity to financially support Reckling's family. More information on how to donate to Reckling's family can be found on the Oakland County Sheriff's Office Facebook page.

“Our mission is to be there for them,” Bouchard said.

The Detroit Police Department is continuing the investigation.

In a statement read by Bouchard at the press conference, Reckling's colleague, Deputy Matthew Morrison, touted him as a good friend, husband and father to his children.

Reckling "loved the outdoors, was an amazing fisherman, loved to deer hunt, and enjoyed growing his farm and raising animals," Morrison continued. "Brad spent several months remodeling his home, giving his wife and three girls the best place to call home. Anyone who knew Brad knows it doesn’t take long for him to start cracking jokes and get him laughing."

Oakland County prosecutor: 'A senseless murder'

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald released a statement on Sunday acknowledging Reckling's death.

"On behalf of all of the attorneys and staff at the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, we send condolences to Deputy Reckling’s family and friends, and we mourn alongside Sheriff Bouchard and everyone at the Sheriff’s Office. Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe," McDonald said in a press release.

McDonald called the incident "a senseless murder" and "terrible loss," adding that it is "also another tragedy caused by gun violence, which continues to take a tremendous toll on our community."

Sheriff wants more resources for public safety workers

Saturday's tragedy came just one week after a gunman opened fire at families at a splash pad park in Rochester Hills, wounding nine people, including children. The gunman later killed himself at his nearby home after it was surrounded by police.

Bouchard, at the news conference, emphasized the need for mental health and crisis debriefing resources for law enforcement, citing the high rates of suicide for military and public safety workers. He said he just had several specialists flown in — despite a lack of budget — to help his officers work through trauma of the splash pad shooting, but that the specialists have already left.

“A lot of people (talk about) healing, but I don’t think the victims of Oxford or the victims of MSU or the victims of the splash pad, or the victims that we see every day ‘heal.’ They learn how to process, how to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. Our people that deal with all of that every day need that same process," Bouchard said. "They need a healthy way to offload some of that because in the moment we're trained to suck it up. ... But after that situation and that critical moment resolves itself, you have to give them the support and help to process and work through that.”

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.

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