Fallout from a painful divorce apparently caused Officer Brian Vieau, 38, to shoot himself Thursday night after killing his estranged wife, Tracy, 40, in their Brownstown Township home, police said. He was the fourth Detroit police officer to commit suicide in the past year.
A female officer who asked that her name not be used said she was a friend of Vieau and worked with him in the Central District. She said Vieau was stressed from job pressures and an impending divorce.
Police spokesman James Tate said the department is concerned about how officers deal with pressure.
"We have an employee assistance program available 24 hours a day for anyone who needs it," he said. "We also conduct critical incident debriefings where psychologists go out and counsel officers who have been exposed to horrific situations," Tate said.
Vieau, a nine-year veteran who worked the midnight shift, used his department issued .40-caliber Glock handgun to shoot Tracy Vieau as she entered their home to pick up their two children before Vieau went to work, according to Brownstown Township Police Chief Daniel Grant.
Grant said Vieau wrote a suicide note on his computer and left it on the screen for police to find.
Police said Vieau apparently waited for his wife to arrive, shot her three times and then called 911 to report a domestic argument in progress with shots fired, police said. He turned the gun on himself before the police arrived.
Brownstown officers found Vieau dead on the living room floor of the home in the 28000 block of Red Cedar Court. The handgun was on the floor near his body.
Tracy Vieau was found at the front door of the home. She had been shot twice in the chest and once in the back, police said. The children were upstairs.
Before turning the gun on himself Vieau called 911. He calmly told the operator, "There's been a shooting."
"What's that sir?" the operated asked.
Vieau repeated that there had been a shooting, gave his address and told the startled operator "My wife and I had an altercation." Vieau ended the call by saying "goodbye" and hung up the phone.
Grant said the 3- and 6-year-old sons of Brian and Tracy Vieau were in an upstairs bedroom, watching cartoons and didn't witness the shootings or the aftermath.
"Officers went up and found them with the door closed," Grant said. "They had to carry them past momma and dad at the bottom of the stairs, but they covered their heads. We got them out of there without seeing anything."
The children were placed with relatives.
Grant said the couple separated several months ago and was in the process of getting a divorce.
The chief said Vieau commented about his unhappiness about the breakup of his marriage in the note he left behind. (source: detroit news)
