Man sentenced to life for killing Melvindale cop, kicked out of court during hearing

Michael Lopez looks to his attorney John McWilliams before his sentencing for the murder of Melvindale Police Officer Mohamed Said at Wayne County Criminal Justice Center on Friday, June 5, 2026, in Detroit, Mi.© Clarence Tabb Jr., The Detroit News

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Detroit — Assistant Prosecutor Rana Hadied’s voice shook as she read victim impact statements aloud in in Wayne Circuit Court on Friday, telling the story of what Melvindale Cpl. Mohamed Said meant to his family before he was fatally shot in 2024.

Hadied and Assistant Prosecutor Max Baisel read statements from Said’s parents, three younger sisters and his youngest brother, who was only 7 when Said was killed by Michael Lopez, 45, while on duty.

‘”Mohamed was my everything,” Hadied said, her voice shaking as she read a statement written by Said’s mother. “Losing my son felt like losing myself. My home, my heart and my life feel destroyed without him… A mother should never have to bury her child.”

Lopez was sentenced to life in prison on Friday, a mandatory sentence because he was convicted by a jury of murder, following a contentious hearing.

Before Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Bridget Hathaway handed down her sentence, she ordered Lopez to be removed from the courtroom after he threatened to report her to the Judicial Tenure Commission, which investigates judicial misconduct.

“The JTC will hear about it. They will hear about the injustice you’ve performed as well,” Lopez said. “You don’t deserve to be sitting up there.” He added Hadied also didn’t deserve to be a prosecutor.

Hadied said Lopez had been “nothing but disrespectful.”

“Every time he tries to say he’s remorseful, he ruins it with his antics and his lies,” she said.

As he was taken out of the courtroom, Lopez told Hadied, “If I was a Muslim man you wouldn’t be talking like that. … Stay in your place, woman.”

He was brought back in about five minutes later to hear his sentence.

Lopez spoke for about 10 minutes before Hathaway told him to wrap it up. Lopez got angry and asked if there was a time limit. As Lopez spoke in anger to Hathaway, roughly half a dozen deputies in the courtroom encroached on him, surrounding him.

Said’s younger brother, Ahmed Said, was the only family member to speak in person about his brother. He spoke of nightmares his family has had, the trauma that the trial and court proceedings caused them. He said his brother, who’d only been a Melvindale police officer for a year before he was fatally shot, died as a hero, protecting his community, while Lopez will live his entire life as a criminal.

“I will never forget or forgive,” Ahmed Said said. “Losing my brother will forever be the most devastating thing that happened in my life. … Life did not just change, life was no longer life. I no longer live, I just exist.”

Ahmed Said got kicked out of the courtroom after he called Lopez a “piece of (expletive)” as he walked back to his seat in the gallery.

Lopez was convicted in April of murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of cocaine, carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent and felony firearm. The jury deliberated for less than an hour before coming back with a guilty verdict.

Dave Said, Mohamed’s uncle, said after the sentencing that “justice was served.” He said people in uniform deserve to be protected.

Lopez maintains he feared for his life

Lopez testified that he feared for his life when he shot Said in late July of 2024 after he’d stopped his patrol car to order Lopez to pick up a cigarette butt. Said chased Lopez after he ran from him, then tased him, according to Said’s body camera. Then Lopez pointed his gun at Said.

“We’re good, we’re good,” Said said, his hands empty as he spoke his last words before Lopez shot him. His Taser had fallen to the ground. His gun, which Lopez testified he believed was pointed at him, was still holstered on his belt.

Testifying in his own defense, Lopez said he thought Said’s Taser was a gun.

On Friday, Lopez continued to profess his innocence. He said he was in fear for his life because he recognized Said, who he said had “some hidden intentions” related to a traffic stop his daughter had been in with Said. Hathaway had banned him from speaking about this traffic stop during the trial — and he got kicked off the witness stand mid-testimony during trial for bringing it up — but she allowed him to mention it Friday.

Lopez said he planned to take his case through the appeals courts.

“I’m innocent of the charges of first-degree murder and I will continue to use the righteous system that is in place,” Lopez said. “I’m not doing it to cause any more pain to the family and friends, but I’m doing it to fight for my life, like I did that day. … I know it may be hard to believe but I’m remorseful and truly deeply sorry for the loss of Mr. Said’s family and friends.”

Judge said cop was ‘coldly and callously shot’

Before she sentenced Lopez, Hathaway said Lopez “coldly and callously shot Cpl. Said in the head without any justification whatsoever.”

“The sad irony about this case is that the defendant fled from and ultimately shot Cpl. Said because he did not want to go back to prison,” Hathaway said. “However, by his actions, the defendant will spend the rest of his life in prison, which is exactly where he serves to be held based on the severity and nature of the crime.”

Melvindale officials speak after sentencing

Melvindale Police Chief Chris Egan said Said was a great officer and person who risked his life for strangers. He choked up as he spoke about Said, who the city is having a memorial motorcycle ride on July 18.

“We are not here to talk about the person who did not follow the right side of the law. We are a small community, Melvindale,” Egan said. “We’re a little city with a big heart, and that person broke that heart. We are here to honor someone who did live on the right side of the law. In just a year on the road he accomplished more than the person who took his life.”

Melvindale Deputy Police Chief Daryl Campbell said Mohamed was “energetic, young, full of life and vigor.”

Melvindale Mayor Nicole Shakira said Mohamed Said was like a brother to her in the 10 months she knew him. She said she was crushed when she found out Mohamed was the officer who had been shot.

“We will never let Mo’s memory fade in our community,” she said. “We’re naming highways after him, schools after him, streets after him, there’s a soccer team after him. His legacy will live on in our community.”

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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Man sentenced to life for killing Melvindale cop, kicked out of court during hearing

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