Detroit police have a person of interest in custody following the death of a highly beloved neurosurgeon, whose body was discovered Sunday in his home.
Police Chief James White said the man was arrested on unrelated charges Friday morning. His name and the charges were not released.
The latest development follows the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office confirming that Dr. Devon Hoover was shot multiple times in the head. His death was ruled a homicide.
White said investigators believe Hoover knew the man but declined to comment further.
“That person is there for an unrelated charge but we are confident that this person has information about what transpired,” the chief told reporters at a news briefing.
A family member contacted police on Sunday asking for a welfare check after Hoover failed to show up to an event. The chief said the shooting “was not a random act” and authorities are still investigating a motive.
He asked anyone with information to contact Detroit police.
“If anyone has any information, if they saw anything, we’re still looking for anyone that has any information,” he said.
Hoover’s family said in a statement earlier this week to NBC affiliate WDIV of Detroit, “We grieve his untimely death and will miss him greatly. We are so grateful for the many words of kindness and stories from people who were touched by his life. He was a gift from God and used his talents to bless many.”
His family did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
Hoover worked as a neurosurgeon at Ascension Hospital, according to WDIV, and he lived in the city’s upscale Boston Edison District.
Ascension Michigan told station WXYZ of Detroit that Hoover was a “dedicated and well-respected member” of the team and “will be greatly missed by our community.”
“Our sincerest condolence and heartfelt prayers are with his family, friends and fellow associates during this incredibly difficult time,” the hospital said.
Hoover’s death rocked the community, with dozens of former patients, friends and family members expressing their grief and shock. A Facebook page titled “Justice for Dr. Devon Hoover” is filled with touching memories of the doctor.
“He was a wonderful human being and this is so tragic,” former patient Dana Collar told NBC News in a phone call. “The lives that he has touched. Every person should aspire to be like him, his kindness, his bedside manner. They should have a ‘Dr. Hoover class’ for physicians for bedside manner because he was perfect.”
Collar said she was treated by Hoover after she broke her vertebrae in a car accident in 2007. Hoover was the on-call neurosurgeon and suggested that they put a halo on her head to her hold neck in place instead of her undergoing surgery. Hoover feared that surgery would result in her losing over 50 percent of the range in motion of her neck, she said.
“I just remember him coming in there and he was just instantly calming,” she said. “I couldn’t be put to sleep so I was loopy but I wasn’t out of it and I just remember laughing with him the whole time. I could hear this drill drilling into my skull and I just kept telling him, ‘Just don’t hit my brain, Dr. Hoover. Don’t hit my brain.’ And he was laughing.”
Collar said during the procedure she kept asking for a diet coke. After he finished, Hoover used his own money to buy her a diet coke from the vending machine, poured it over ice and brought it to her.
“For some reason that has stuck with me for all these years,” she said.
Sheryl Leaver, another former patient, told WDIV that he was “just so fabulous and modest.” She said he helped her walk again through performing spinal fusion surgery.
Neighbor Ann Justice told the news station that he “was just the nicest person you never would have thought anything like this would happen to him.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
