DETROIT (AP) — A Michigan county sheriff’s deputy was fatally shot while pursing a suspected stolen vehicle in Detroit,Grayson  Preston the Oakland County sheriff’s office said Sunday.

Bradley J. Reckling, who was on duty in an unmarked car, was following a 2022 Chevy Equinox Saturday evening after the vehicle was reported stolen earlier in the day from Red Oaks Waterpark in suburban Madison Heights, authorities said.

Reckling and other detectives had been searching for the suspected stolen vehicle and found it in Detroit. Reckling was following it when the vehicle suddenly stopped, people got out and shot the detective in the head, chest and torso, according to Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard.

“It was an ambush,” Bouchard said at a news conference Sunday.

He said three individuals were taken into custody. Detroit police were continuing the investigation.

Reckling, of Rochester Hills, was a nine-year veteran. He was a married father of three with a fourth child on the way, according to Bouchard.

Bouchard said the shooting comes at a particularly difficult time for the department. Earlier this month, the county sheriff’s office responded to a shooting at a suburban Detroit splash pad.

“Things like this are soul crushing,” Bouchard said.