The Michigan Department of Attorney General has completed its review of the fatal shooting of Martez Britt, 23, by a Michigan State Police (MSP) trooper on May 5, 2025. The Department determined that the trooper acted in self-defense and in defense of others, and no charges will be filed. According to MSP policy, all officer-involved shootings are sent to the Department of Attorney General for review.
The incident occurred during an undercover operation by the Metro Detroit Auto Theft Recovery Team (MDART), which was executing a court-authorized search warrant to place a GPS tracking device on a suspect vehicle. Investigators had identified Britt as a suspect in multiple automobile thefts in Metro Detroit. After 4:00 a.m., three MSP troopers and one Troy Police Department detective located Britt’s vehicle outside his home near Murray Hill Street and Trojan Avenue in Detroit.
Two plainclothes MSP troopers approached Britt’s vehicle while two other team members remained nearby in an undercover car. One trooper went under the vehicle to attach the tracking device, while another stood close by. The officers were unaware that Britt was inside his vehicle at the time.
After placing the device, as the troopers began leaving, Britt emerged from his car and shot the nearest trooper. The second trooper turned after hearing gunfire and saw Britt holding a pistol aimed at the injured officer. In response, this trooper fired at Britt several times as Britt continued shooting at the downed officer. Britt died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.
Before he was killed, Britt fired five shots, hitting one trooper in the leg and once in the back; however, the latter shot was stopped by a ballistic vest.
The investigation was led by the Detroit Police Department Homicide Task Force with assistance from MSP’s 2nd District Special Investigation Section before being referred to the Attorney General’s office.
Attorneys reviewed statements from involved officers, interviews conducted on the morning of the shooting, surveillance footage from a nearby residence, scene photographs, ShotSpotter data, and other evidence. Because this was an undercover operation, officers used vehicles without video recording devices and either did not wear body cameras or had them disengaged per Michigan State Police policies for special investigative units.
The Department concluded that “the trooper’s use of deadly force was a justified exercise of self-defense and defense of others.”
“The legal issue in this case was whether the MSP trooper acted in a lawful manner when they used deadly force by discharging their weapon,” according to the statement from the Attorney General’s office. “Law enforcement officers have the same privilege of self-defense as anyone else. Shooting a gun in self-defense requires an honest and reasonable belief that an officer is in danger of being killed or seriously injured. If that person’s belief was honest and reasonable, they can act immediately to defend themselves. Under Michigan law, a police officer…is not required to retreat in the face of a display of force.”
“Here, under all of the facts and circumstances presented, the Department concluded that the MSP trooper acted in self-defense and defense of their fellow trooper when they fatally shot Martez Britt, who was actively firing upon an officer at the time of his death.”
The full report prepared by the Department detailing this incident is available online (PDF). The names of officers involved remain redacted due to their ongoing undercover roles.
The Department also reiterated its availability to assist with investigations into officer-involved shootings at any county prosecutor or law enforcement agency’s request: “The Department of Attorney General is available to lead or support any investigation…and today renews this commitment and offer.”
