DETROIT (WXYZ) — Several hours after Oakland County Sheriff Detective Brad Reckling was fatally shot on Detroit's east side, 18-year-old Karim Blake Moore was refusing to tell investigators who the shooter was or who was driving the vehicle the shooter was in, according to police.
VIDEO: Police interrogation of Karim Blake Moore
Moore, who is from Clinton Township, was one of three 18-year-old men who bailed out of the vehicle that Reckling was following the night of June 22.
Reckling, who was not wearing a bulletproof vest, was following the vehicle the three young men were in because it had been stolen out of Madison Heights earlier in the day.
"What's holding you back?" a detective asked Moore during his interrogation.
"My life," the teen responded.
Prosecutors have said that Moore did not want to cooperate with the investigation, citing fear of what could happen to him in the community if he did.
The detective told Moore he did not understand why he seemed to be protecting the two young men he was with and that there was a benefit to telling the truth.
Moore responded, "It's only benefit in the court, I guess, but I'm going to still do time and all that. And if I get out, I'm going to have to face consequences outside of jail."
At Moore's preliminary examination Wednesday, a Michigan State Police trooper testified that Moore is one of the three individuals tracking dogs located on a porch not far from the shooting scene.
The trooper testified that the homeowner indicated that they did not know Moore or the others.
Doorbell video obtained from that house shows the three men running onto the porch and then sitting down as if they had been sitting there relaxing for some time. One young man takes off his shirt and tosses it to the side.
VIDEO: Ring cam of suspects in Reckling case
The trooper identified Moore in the video as the subject who removed a black sweatshirt, revealing a white t-shirt.
Right now, Moore is only charged with lying to police and resisting arrest.
Detroit Police said they have not submitted warrant requests to charge anyone with the murder of Detective Reckling. A spokesperson for the prosecutor's office confirms that no warrant request has been submitted and adds that the investigation is continuing.
Moore's defense attorney Adam Clements said he hopes his client is not charged with Reckling's murder because he is not the shooter.
Clements told 7 News that the windows on the deputy's vehicle were tinted and that no police lights were activated until after shots were fired, adding that his client ran because he was scared.
One detective testified that Moore told him that he ran from the shooting scene because he didn't want to get shot.
At the end of Wednesday's hearing, Judge Patricia Jefferson found there was sufficient evidence to order Moore to stand trial. But she denied the prosecution's request to change Moore's $50,000 bond that includes house arrest.
