Four months after Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Reckling was gunned down in Detroit, charges have been filed against two Clinton Township men and one Detroiter in connection with his death.
At a news conference Wednesday morning, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said the investigation leading to the charges has been extensive and complex, and that the three charged are part of an elaborate auto theft ring spanning Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.
Reckling, a nine-year veteran with the sheriff’s office, was fatally shot in Detroit on June 23 while reportedly working undercover tracking a Chevrolet Equinox — stolen that day from Red Oaks Waterpark in Madison Heights. Reckling reportedly spotted the SUV near Park Grove and Schoenherr in Detroit, and one of the occupants, later identified as Raymone Raylee Debose, allegedly fired a handgun from it, fatally striking the deputy. Debose and the SUV’s two other occupants then reportedly fled. Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard has described the shooting as an “ambush.”
The homicide investigation revealed an alleged “continuing criminal enterprise” that included multiple carjackings, stolen vehicles and weapons being carried in vehicles, Worthy said.
On Wednesday afternoon, Debose and his two alleged accomplices, Marquis Lamar Goins and Karim Blake Moore, were arraigned in 36th District Court on several felony charges:
• Raymone Raylee Debose, 18, of Clinton Township, charged with murder of a peace officer, receiving and concealing a motor vehicle, four counts of carrying a concealed weapon, three counts of felony firearm, carjacking, and conducting a criminal enterprise. Bond was set at $1 million cash.
• Marquis Lamar Goins, 18, of Detroit, charged with accessory after the fact to a felony, receiving and concealing a motor vehicle, four counts of carrying a concealed weapon, three counts of felony firearm, carjacking, and conducting a criminal enterprise. Bond was set at $250,000 cash.
• Karim Blake Moore, 18, of Clinton Township, charged with accessory after the fact to a felony, receiving and concealing a motor vehicle, four counts of carrying a concealed weapon, two counts of felony firearm, conducting a criminal enterprise. Bond was set at $250,000 cash.
Reckling had been investigating the auto theft ring since becoming aware of it in November 2023, Worthy said. She described the scope of the enterprise as “breathtaking.”
Reckling, a married father of three with a fourth child on the way at the time of his death, was 30 years old when he was slain.
‘A hero’
“Deputy Reckling was a hero, he was an absolute hero. He did what we all love doing, and that is keeping our respective communities safe,” said Detroit Police Chief James White. “He came to work like we all do any day of the week, he laid his life on the line. He was in our city pursuing someone for auto theft, stumbled onto something much bigger than he even thought — to be revealed later — and made the ultimate sacrifice.”
White said “it is our prayer and desire today that the healing process begins (for Reckling’s loved ones) now that we have people held accountable for this heinous act.”
Bouchard said Reckling was, indeed, a hero, and spoke of the challenges endured during such a lengthy investigation that, finally, resulted in the arrests. “(But) getting it done right is most important and having the prosecutorial team ready to go hold these folks accountable,” he said.
Reckling “was one of those folks that just touched so many lives, he was a superstar in lots of ways, “ Bouchard said. The slaying, he said, “leaves so many voids in not just the family, the friends, the community, but the agency. It’s a gut punch when you lose somebody in the line of duty– especially someone like Brad.”
Bouchard further said “there can be no healing from (something) like this, but you learn to process it. And you figure out a way to take another step forward day after day…begin that process moving forward knowing the people who did this intentionally will be held fully accountable.”
A bond re-determination hearing is scheduled for Nov. 1 for Goins and Moore. A probable cause conference for all three defendants is scheduled for Nov. 8, and a preliminary examination is scheduled for Nov. 14.
‘It was an ambush’: Sheriff details shooting death of deputy tracking stolen car