A man who police said confessed to being a “hit man” who killed at least seven people, including the wife of a Detroit police officer, was arraigned Monday in Detroit.
Police said Vincent Smothers, 27, of Shelby Township, claimed that he was hired by Detroit Officer David Cobb to kill Cobb’s wife, Rose. Smothers was arrested Saturday night. Cobb was arrested early Sunday morning.
“This is my first time where we’ve had one individual that says, you know, ‘I killed people for a living, and I’ve killed this many people,'” said Detroit Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings during a news conference Monday announcing the arrests of the alleged hit man and Cobb.
Smothers told police he was hired by Cobb to kill the officer’s wife in front of a Detroit CVS store in December.
Rose Cobb, 47, had been shot at least once in the head at an east-side CVS on Jefferson Avenue and was dead at the scene.
Cobb had claimed to be inside the CVS when his wife was shot.
His wife had been shot through the vehicle’s window, and nothing appeared to be taken.
Rose Cobb’s family had previously sought answers by offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the killer’s arrest and conviction.
Smothers has a previous criminal record, including concealed weapons violations and receiving and carrying stolen property.
