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The Michigan Department of Attorney General utilizes the services of Special Assistant Attorneys General from time to time when the unique circumstances of a particular case create the need for specialized services not currently available within the department.
The Michigan Attorney General has determined that a full and complete investigation of what happened within the Catholic Church is required. This investigation is and will continue to be independent, thorough, transparent, and prompt. My department and this investigation will find out who knew what, and when.
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In Michigan, a victim is an individual who suffers direct or threatened physical, financial, or emotional harm as a result of the commission of a crime.
Elder abuse happens when someone hurts, ignores, or takes advantage of an older adult. This may be someone who is of advanced age or is vulnerable and unable to protect themselves due to a mental or physical issues.
An expungement is a way to remove past offenses from your public record. Expansions under the “Clean Slate” laws include eligibility for up to three felonies and unlimited misdemeanors, excluding certain assault or weapons offenses and felonies that carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
To investigate and prosecute hate crimes by following up on every credible tip and offer departmental resources to assist local and federal law enforcement partners in this effort.
The Michigan Attorney General is leading the fight against this horrific crime by prosecuting the state's first-ever criminal cases under state law banning human trafficking in Michigan. Victims of human trafficking are in bondage through force, fraud or coercion, for the purpose of sex or labor exploitation.
Knowing how to guard your personal information is your first line of defense against identity theft.
Michigan workers enjoy a wide variety of legal protections regarding issues at work. There are a number of state and federal statutes that protect their wages, safety, and well-being.
Opioid addiction knows no social or economic barriers; it doesn’t care about race or gender. It claims young and old alike. The Michigan Department of Attorney General is committed to fighting this crisis.
Michigan Attorney General's robocall initiative is leading several efforts to protect Michigan residents from the billion plus robocalls made to them every year.
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November 25, 2025
LANSING – Today, the Michigan Department of Attorney General announced it has concluded the review of the May 5th, 2025, officer-involved shooting death of Martez Britt, 23, of Detroit. The Department determined that the Michigan State Police trooper acted in self-defense and defense of others and will not issue charges. It is the policy of the Michigan State Police (MSP) to send all officer-involved shootings to the Department of Attorney General for review.
In the early morning hours of May 5th, the Metro Detroit Auto Theft Recovery Team (MDART) conducted an undercover police operation pursuant to a court authorized search warrant to place a GPS tracking device on a suspect vehicle. Prior investigative efforts identified Martez Britt as a suspect connected to multiple automobile thefts in Metro Detroit, and after 4:00 a.m. that morning a group of three MSP troopers and one detective from the Troy Police Department located Britt’s vehicle parked outside his Detroit home near Murray Hill Street and Trojan Avenue. Two MSP troopers, in plain clothes, approached the vehicle on the street while the other two members of the MDART operation remained in a nearby undercover vehicle. One trooper went beneath Britt’s vehicle to place the tracking device while another remained standing nearby.
Unknown to the officers, Britt was inside his vehicle during their operation. Having placed the tracking device, the troopers began to depart Britt’s vehicle back toward their own. Britt emerged and shot the trooper nearest him.
The other trooper, upon hearing the gunshot, turned around to see the struck trooper fall into the street. The trooper observed Britt standing at the door of his vehicle holding a pistol still aimed at the struck trooper. In response, this trooper fired at Britt multiple times as Britt continued to fire upon the struck trooper. Britt fell into the street, having died from a single gunshot to the chest.
Before his death, Britt fired five shots, striking the trooper once in his leg and once in his back, the latter shot being blocked by the trooper’s ballistic vest.
This investigation was conducted by the Detroit Police Department Homicide Task Force with the assistance of the MSP 2nd District Special Investigation Section, who then referred the matter to the Department of Attorney General.
Attorneys at the Department of Attorney General reviewed signed statements of involved officers, interviews taken from officers on the morning of the shooting, surveillance footage from a nearby home, scene photography, ShotSpotter program data, and other materials. As this shooting occurred during an undercover operation, the officers on-scene were operating an undercover vehicle not equipped with vehicular video recording devices, and officers were either not wearing body-worn cameras or were wearing cameras disengaged during this incident, as consistent with Michigan State Police Official Order 04-20-7 regarding special investigative units and undercover operations.
The Department of Attorney General review concluded 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. 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, because of his or her duty and responsibility to protect the public, is not required to retreat in the face of a display of force. An officer’s decision about the level of force necessary to control an individual will be based on the officer’s perception of the threat and the subject’s apparent ability to carry out that threat. Furthermore, this Department is prohibited by law from issuing criminal charges in cases where it cannot prove the use of deadly force to be unjustified.
Here, under all of the facts and circumstances presented, the Department concluded that the MSP trooper acted in self-defense and the 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 Department of Attorney General is available to lead or support any investigation of an officer-involved shooting at the request of any county prosecutor or law enforcement agency within the state and today renews this commitment and offer.
The full report prepared by the Department of Attorney General detailing this incident and assessing the applicable laws can be reviewed online (PDF). Because the officers involved in this incident continue to work in undercover capacities, their names have been redacted from this report.
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