Detroit -- Police fatally shot an off-duty Detroit officer when they were fired on while responding to his threat of suicide in a 911 call on the city's east side Monday afternoon.

Officers from the 11th Precinct responded to a 911 call near Davidson and St. Aubin streets around 2:26 p.m., Detroit police Chief James White said at a news conference. White said the person threatening suicide was a police officer in the department.

"Upon arrival, they hear gunshots. The suspect is identified as a member of our department. He is a member of our special response team. He is off duty. He is threatening suicide. He is asking for suicide by cop," White said.

White said the off-duty officer was 45 years old and had been with the department 13 years. He was shooting in the air when they arrived, and officers took cover.

"He approaches the vehicle that they are taking cover behind. He shoots the vehicle in the rear of the vehicle multiple times, he strikes two of our officers, one in the leg and one in the thigh area," White said. "One officer returns fire, fatally wounding the officer in question."

The injured officers were in stable condition, White said. The off-duty officer had a physical "degenerative condition" and had been off work for a while and just returned to full duty Oct. 3, White said. He had no previous mental health issues, he said.

"The officers who have responded are heroes," White said. "Once they recognized it was one of our own members, they still had to do their job and make sure that everyone else was safe."

Michigan State Police will handle an investigation, White said.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan called the incident a "tragedy for the city."

"The worst call I get is one that says officers have been shot, and we are fortunate today that the two officers who were responding here that their injuries are not life-threatening," Duggan said. "It's a reminder of the courage the officers in this department show every day. They went to that scene knowing they were going to be confronted by a highly trained and harmed officer in the department who was having significant mental issues."

White said the department will offer grief counseling for officers.

"We're not immune to the mental health crisis in this city, in our country and our state," White said "It affects everybody."