Slain Dallas Officer Moved from Metro Detroit to Chase Lifelong Dream

This story has been updated.

Redford Township, MI — Former Wayne County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Krol, one of five police officers killed in a sniper attack in Dallas Thursday, is from Redford Township, according to media reports.

At least two snipers opened fire during a rally to protest the killing of two black men by police earlier this week. Seven other officers were wounded. At least three suspects are in custody, including one woman, following a massive search involving hundreds of law officers.

Krol, 40, was so committed to becoming a police officer that he moved away from Michigan, where he wasn't having any luck finding a job, his brother-in-law, Brian Schoenbaechler, told the Detroit Free Press. He graduated from the Dallas Police Academy in 2008.

“He really wanted to be a cop, and they weren’t hiring around here, so he moved, by himself, to Dallas to become a cop because they were hiring,” Schoenbaechler said.

NEWSLETTER & REAL-TIME NEWS ALERTS: Get the Top Michigan Headlines from Patch Editor Beth Dalbey

Krol’s mother, Susan Ehlke, of Redford, learned of his death Friday morning and was preparing to fly to Dallas.

In a statement, she said:

“He knew the danger of the job but he never shied away from his duty as a police officer.”

"He got into law enforcement and worked really hard to be a police officer," Ehlke said. "He spent some time at the correctional facility. It wasn’t quite what he was looking for, so he worked pretty hard to find a job and got one in Dallas. He was all in, he was all in."

He had worked as an officer for the Wayne County Sheriff's Office from 2003 to 2007 and was assigned to the county jail corrections staff.

“We are saddened by the loss of the dedicated officers in Dallas — one of whom was a former member of this agency — and also the wounding of the other officers,” Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon said in a statement released Friday. “Those officers made the ultimate sacrifice and died honoring their oaths to protect and serve. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families and also the Dallas Police Department.”

Krol reportedly sent his girlfriend a text message Thursday, telling her the Black Lives Matter protest was peaceful. She became concerned later when she couldn't reach him and contacted one of his three siblings in Michigan.

Wixom police, accompanied by a minister, delivered the news to Krol's sister that her brother had been slain about 2:30 a.m. on Friday.

“He was a guy that was serving others,” Schoenbaechler told the Free Press. “And he gave his life in service of others.”

Gov. Rick Snyder also released a statement Friday. “I was notified today that one of the fallen officers in Dallas is a Michigan native who previously worked in law enforcement in southeast Michigan,” the governor said. “We didn’t need this tragedy to be brought home to feel its impact, but still it hurts more this way.”

Krol's mother added in her statement: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the other families, too."
When asked what he would say to whomever is responsible for Krol’s death, Schoenbaechler replied: “All lives matter.”

Dallas Police Shootings Put Metro Detroit on High Alert

• In Oakland County, sheriff says officers struggle with incongruity of being on guard for their lives, “yet approachable and friendly.”