DETROIT — Authorities have charged three 18-year-old men in connection with an auto theft operation, following the tragic shooting of a sheriff’s deputy that occurred four months ago. The incident took place when Deputy Bradley J. Reckling pursued a stolen SUV into Detroit on June 22, resulting in his fatal injury.

Among the accused, the individual believed to have fired the shots has been charged with the murder of a police officer and conducting a criminal enterprise. The other two suspects face similar charges related to being accessory to the crime. They all have been indicted for additional offenses, including receiving and concealing stolen property, possessing concealed weapons, and carjacking, as announced by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy at a press conference on Wednesday.

Arraignments for the trio were anticipated for Thursday. At the time of the incident, Reckling was a dedicated member of the auto theft task force, operating in an unmarked vehicle while tracking down a stolen Chevy Equinox that had been reported missing earlier that day from a water park north of Detroit. He sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the head, chest, and torso, ultimately succumbing to his injuries at a local hospital.

Three individuals were apprehended shortly after the shooting occurred. Worthy remarked, “This started off as a death of a peace officer but evolved into something larger.” She noted that the theft ring had connections spanning numerous cities across three different counties.

The operation is believed to have been active from November 2022 until June, with investigators from various agencies dedicating over four months to piecing together the case. Worthy emphasized their commitment saying, “We worked to do this right.”

Deputy Reckling was a nine-year veteran of the sheriff’s office and a devoted family man, surviving by his wife and three children, with a fourth child on the way at the time of his passing, as stated by Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard in June.

“Losing someone in the line of duty feels like a gut punch,” Bouchard expressed on Wednesday. “While there can be no true healing from such a loss, we learn to navigate through the pain.”