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The statue of Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson was reported missing
Wednesday evening from Rouge Park on Detroit's far west side,
police said.
It appeared to have been sawed off at the ankles. Investigators
believe the statue was taken sometime Tuesday night or early
Wednesday morning.
Mayor Mike Duggan told reporters Friday that officers canvassed
the neighborhood and determined the time when the statue was
stolen. Surveillance cameras on nearby businesses showed a large
rental truck leaving the area.
Officers then spoke to operators of the rental truck company and
learned the truck has GPS, Duggan said.
“(Officers) found out the person who rented it was suspected of
other robberies,” he said. “They ran him down in real time,
caught him. He turned over the statue, confessed and we made two
arrests.”
Details of the arrests were not immediately released Friday.
Jefferson was a member of the famed Red Tails during World War
II. The unit escorted bombers over Europe. Jefferson was shot
down and held as a prisoner of war. He returned home to Detroit
following his release.
Jefferson later taught in schools and served as a vice
principal. He also helped form the Tuskegee Airmen chapter in
Detroit.
The airmen were the nation’s first all-Black air fighter
squadron. They trained and fought separately from white fighter
units due to segregation in the U.S. military. Their unit was
based in Tuskegee, Alabama, but Michigan served as an advanced
training ground during the war.
Jefferson's statue was unveiled in June. The ceremony was
attended by Duggan, Jefferson’s family and his former students.
A plaza for the statue also was built.
Jefferson flew model airplanes in the area of the park where the
statue was placed. That field already had been named for him. He
was honored in 2021 by the city on his 100th birthday. Jefferson
died in 2022.
“Lt. Col. Jefferson was a hero in every sense of the word and so
richly deserves this honor,” Duggan said during the statue's
unveiling. “He distinguished himself as a Tuskegee Airman and
prisoner of war in World War II, and again at home as a
celebrated educator. The people of Detroit are deeply grateful
to him for his service and this plaza and statue is a reflection
of our collective appreciation.”
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