What started as a dark day for Southgate, and for police officers in general, has proven over time to be the catalyst for both the city and the law enforcement community to rally around their dedicated servants.

The June 19, 2025 shootings of Southgate Officers Jason Jones and Matthew Dube have brought together such an overwhelming show of love and support – not only in Southgate but from departments throughout southeast Michigan – it has become clear that law enforcement is a brotherhood that is limited by neither boundaries nor blood.

Even these many months later, Director of Public Safety Joe Marsh recalls with awe the moment he first arrived at the command post, which had been set up during the search for the gunman.

“The way they just started showing up to help out – chiefs and admins and officers from surrounding cities, counties and state – was amazing,” he said.

The original call concerned a man waving a gun at a local apartment complex. The three officers who responded – Jones, Dube and Allison Sjoblom – went about the task of locating the person based on a vague description in a complex with many buildings and hundreds of units. Officer Jones’s bodycam footage shows the exact moment when the situation turned, from just trying to make contact with two subjects to diving for cover and calling for backup.

Recalling the incident, Officer Jones said he knew immediately that he’d been hit but he didn’t know exactly where. It was later determined that he had sustained a gunshot wound in his leg.

“You feel heat and fear,” he said when asked about the moment of impact. “I didn’t think it was going to stop. I felt in the moment that I was going to be shot in the back of the head.”

In the fevered aftermath, Officers Jones and Sjoblom went one way and Officer Dube went another. Officer Dube, despite being hit in the leg as well, was able to apprehend and subdue the second subject. It was only later that everyone realized how seriously he had been injured. He had sustained a gunshot wound that was uncomfortably close to his femoral artery.

While Officer Jones recovered quickly and was back to work in a month, Officer Dube is still recovering, and struggling to find a surgeon who would be willing to remove the bullet that is still lodged in his leg.

“He’s met with several doctors,” Marsh said. “He’s still in a lot of pain but he just wants to get back to work.”

This incident obviously highlighted the dangers that officers across the country face every day, and for a department as small as Southgate’s – with only 42 people total – the overwhelming support that they received during that crazy day is even more significant.

Marsh specifically called out Sgt. Keith Shurkus for his quick response and assistance helping Officer Sjoblom apply a tourniquet to Officer Jones’s leg. He also told an interesting story of how the perpetrator was inevitably caught, in which Wyandotte Police Chief Archie Hamilton and Deputy Chief Ken Groat played a crucial role.

He recalled the days after, during which more support came in the form of pastors, psychologists and therapists, who came in to talk and help the first responders process their reactions to the experience.

Marsh also reiterated his gratitude for the public’s trust in their police and fire departments.

“After the incident, the support from residents, business owners and others was greatly appreciated,” he said. “We definitely could feel the love and support.”