George Hunter

The Detroit News

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy is expected Wednesday to announce her office will drop charges against the man accused of killing Wayne State Police Sgt. Collin Rose, according to police sources.

DeAngelo Davis, 31, was charged last month with first-degree murder in connection with the Nov. 22 fatal shooting, but sources with knowledge of the investigation told The Detroit News there isn’t enough evidence to pursue the case against him.

Police are now looking at evidence suggesting another man was possibly the real killer, the sources told The News on Tuesday night.

Worthy’s office on Tuesday afternoon issued a statement announcing a news conference at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, but did not say what would be discussed. It said Worthy would be joined at the news conference by Detroit Police Chief James Craig and Wayne State University Police Chief Anthony Holt at her office in the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice.

“No further information will be given until the press conference,” the release said.

At the time of his arrest, police said they had evidence suggesting Davis was the killer, but they indicated the case remained under investigation.

Rose, 29, a WSU police officer since 2011, was shot in the head while investigating a series of theft reports near Lincoln and Brainard in Detroit. He died Nov. 23 from his injuries.

Prosecutors alleged that Rose was shot while attempting a traffic stop on Davis. Davis was riding a bicycle at the time, officials said. Police said Rose did not appear to be targeted.

Davis was arrested about 10 p.m. Nov. 22, roughly three hours after the shooting, a few blocks away, after witnesses said he matched the description of the suspect.

Holt said at the time that Davis was known to authorities. He said no weapon had been recovered and the investigation was ongoing.

Davis is charged with first-degree murder, murder of a police officer, being a felon in possession of a firearm, three felony firearm charges and being a habitual offender.

He faces up to life in prison without parole on the murder charges. A judge entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf at his arraignment Nov. 25 in Romulus. Davis is due in court Friday for a probable cause conference on the charges.

Court records show Davis has had violent run-ins with police.

In May 2011, he was sentenced to 53 days in the Wayne County Jail after pleading guilty to two charges of assaulting a police officer.

In November 2010, he was sentenced to 56 days in the Wayne County Jail on charges related to two offenses: attempted forgery of license plates, and assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder.

Davis had previous violent contact with Wayne State officers in 2011 and 2014, Holt said.

Meanwhile, on Nov. 29, authorities released a video of a man who might have witnessed the murder and are asking the public’s help in identifying the individual. The man is seen on the video walking briskly away from the Lincoln and Brainard area off Trumbull and Grand River where the shooting took place.

Staff Writer Oralandar Brand-Williams contributed.