A fellow officer is said to have thrown a flash-bang grenade, and Weekley fired his gun shortly after, killing the 7-year-old girl, who was sleeping on the couch. Aiyana Stanley-Jones was 7 years old when Detroit Police Officer Joseph Weekley "accidentally" shot her as she lay sleeping in her grandmother's home. Weekley testified the grandmother struck his weapon and caused him. They sent three notes, the last one indicating they still couldn't reach a unanimous verdict on the third day of deliberations, despite encouragement from Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway. He says he accidentally fired his gun during a. This button displays the currently selected search type. Coward Cop breaks into the wrong home, blames grandmother for having his finger on the trigger and shooting their 7 year old child in the head (Kathleen Galligan/Detroit Free Press via AP, File) Chauncey Owens, whom police were searching for in the raid, was eventually arrested in a second-floor unit of the duplex where the girl and her family lived. "I pulled the trigger of that gun, unintentionally, and I didn't even know it at the time," Weekley said in cout. Kelley joined the station on February 10, 1986, two months after graduating from the University of Florida. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. AP Photo by Carlos Osorio. The jury foreman, a pastor said:This has not been an easy case.. "The guy was just pointing right there and Aiyana [was] hit," Jones testified last year. 20:54 GMT 19 Jun 2013. finds relevant news, identifies important training information, Since the shooting, Weekley has been placed on a desk job. Defendant Joseph Weekely, right, and A&E producer Allison Howard, who was at the raid, sit in. Daily Mail Reporter The Special Response Team arrived in its armored vehicle with a warrant to arrest Chauncey Owens, who was known to stay with his fiance at 4056 Lillibridge Street. Belinda Robinson for MailOnline. Detroit Police Chief James Craig told George Hunter of the Detroit News last week that Weekley was restored to active duty April 2. Weekley was a member of Detroits Special Response Team, which was sent to an east side neighbourhood to capture a suspect in the killing of a teenager outside a convenience store. DragonEye Tech: Leaders in LIDAR Speed Measurement, The family was awarded $8.25 million for the accidental death of the 7-year-old during a raid. All he had to do is follow his training and we wouldn't be here.'. City attorney Lawrence Garcia announced the settlement with the family of Aiyana Stanley-Jones on Thursday, April 4, 2019 four days before a civil trial was to begin. He was arrested in a separate upstairs unit of the multi-family house. By Weekley says he accidentally fired his gun during a struggle with Aiyana's grandmother. Greenhouse also happens to be the son of the assistant district attorney in Marksville. Fishman said that for involuntary manslaughter to be proved, the prosecution would need to demonstrate that his client acted in a "grossly negligent manner" in the circumstances leading to Stanley-Jones' death. Weekley has said that the girl's grandmother, Mertilla Jones, who had also been asleep on the couch when police arrived, came up to him and grabbed his gun, causing him to shoot. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. The jurors, asked that their names not be made public as they explained what happened over four days of deliberations. Weekley, a member of an elite police unit, was the first officer through the door of her home during a chaotic search for a murder suspect. Search query This button displays the currently selected search type. However, for his family, the outcome of Greenhouse's future trial and the fact that Stafford just got 40 years, are the only things that can provide even a semblance of comfort. DPD Spokesman John Roach said the Detroit Police Department SWAT team member is 34-year-old officer Joseph Weekley. Jury selection starts on Monday in Wayne County court, 15 months after Weekleys first trial ended with jurors unable to agree on a verdict. The Michigan Supreme Court last September cleared the way for a trial or settlement when it declined to hear an appeal after two courts ruled a jury could decide whether Weekley's actions amounted to gross negligence. Godbee said Weekley is involved in several charitable events for the DPD, including one that raises money for children of domestic violence victims. Especially for | 12 comentarios en LinkedIn 17:14 GMT 11 Oct 2014 In at least one of those other raids, Weekley and his team were accused of using unnecessary force. As the Associated Press reports,Ruth Wisher, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Jeff Landry's office, said Stafford was sentenced to 40 years for manslaughter and 15 years for attempted manslaughter. Police found Owens in the upstairs flat and he was arrested. To read the full Conyers story, click here. Photo by Paul Warner/Getty Images. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. He says he accidentally fired his gun during a struggle with Aiyana's grandmother. Joseph Weekley, a member of an elite police unit, was the first officer through the door of her home during a chaotic search for a murder suspect. Wake up to the day's most important news. Officer Weekley faced his first trial in June 2013. Jose had just turned in, having worked 12 hours straight at a local mine, when his home was invaded. Since Aiyana's death, critics have denounced the practice of having TV producers in the midst of police investigations, and activists have argued that having a television crew present could have affected how the police executed their search warrant the night Aiyana was killed -- creating more of a spectacle than was necessary, for the sake of the cameras. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. He insists he accidentally fired his gun during a. The settlement still needs approval from the Detroit City Council. Officer Joseph Weekley, a member of the Detroit Police Special Response Team, was indicted on an involuntary manslaughter charge after a nearly yearlong Michigan State Police investigation into . It's then that Weekley says Mertila Jones bore down on him with her arm striking his gun. DETROIT -- The city of Detroit reached an $8.25 million settlement Thursday with the family of a 7-year-old girl accidentally killed by a police officer during a 2010 raid. Nov. 15Trust deeds This list includes trust deeds (to secure repayment of a loan) of $750,000 or more. 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After the mistrial, Dominika Stanley, Aiyana's mother stayed in the courtroom, wiping away tears as she shook her head and held onto a tissue. If convicted, Weekley could face up to 15 years behind bars. "Then I started freaking out a little bit.". That the ten-year-anniversary of Aiyana's death passed largely unacknowledged, . Mertilla Jones, who. By Game credits for World of WarCraft: Battle for Azeroth (Windows) Police threw a stun grenade through a window, and Weekley was the first officer through the door. The target, Chauncey Owens, was eventually arrested and convicted of killing a 17-year-old boy. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. The night of the raid, a camera crew from A&E's "The First 48," a reality show that follows police officers during the first two days of murder investigations, was shadowing Detroit's Special Response Team. On May 16, 2010, plaintiff's decedent Aiyana Stanley-Jones, 7, was inside her Detroit home when she was shot in the head. City attorney Lawrence Garcia announced the settlement with the family of Aiyana Stanley-Jones on Thursday, April 4, 2019 four days before a civil trial was to begin. In Michigan, such a crime carries a potential 15 year prison sentence. Weekley was charged with involuntary manslaughter, but a judge dismissed that charge during a second trial in 2014. 0:22 After two hung juries, the Detroit police officer charged in the death of 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones will not be tried again. "Aiyana's death was a tragic loss for her family and has been a heavy burden on our community. Weekley drives the SWAT team's armored personnel carrier. Mark Diaz, union president of the Detroit Police Officers Association, said he was disappointed by the decision. Judge Dismisses Manslaughter Charge For Cop Who Shot 7-Year-Old To Death. Lexipol. She died a short time later. Another question asked whether jurors had seen reports of "the so-called military equipment by police departments here and elsewhere that might influence your decision in this case," drawing a parallel between the law enforcement methods used in Detroit and those employed by Ferguson police officers during the protests that followed Brown's death. The justice system did not work in this case, he said. Watch: Who Is The Officer Involved In Girl's Shooting? "He's heartsick, because he lost his daughter and he got charged with something he didn't do," Weiss said of Jones. However, the Clerk of Court, the District Attorneys Office, Marksville Police Department, and City Court noted that they did not have any warrants against him. Some video shot from the sidewalk was part of the evidence. He claims he accidentally pulled the trigger when Aiyanas grandmother, Mertilla Jones, grabbed his gun. Who Is DPD Officer Joseph Weekley? The jury sent a note to Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway saying little progress had been made during the three days of deliberations over the fate of Officer Joseph Weekley, who faced charges of felony . "The whole reason there was even a chase was for his well-being," he said. 'This is a bittersweet outcome: Bitter because Weekley was not convicted, and sweet in that justice for Aiyana Jones will come soon,' said Roland Lawrence. They came to kill, and they killed a 7-year-old.'. After Aiyana's death, the mayor banned police from working with reality TV crews. Brown's death, and the extreme tactics of police amid ensuing local protests, have sparked national conversations about police brutality and institutional racism in police forces across the country. Aiyana's parents, Charles Jones and Dominika Stanley, sued Detroit police officer Joseph Weekley on behalf of their daughter's estate. Rep. John Conyers has also asked the U.S. Department of Justice to launch an investigation into the girl's shooting death. The hunt for a murder suspect was being recorded by a crew from 'The First 48,' a police show on A&E Networks. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. All rights reserved. "This was essentially a military assault on a private dwelling," Ron Scott, spokesman for the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, told the Associated Press last year about the raid on the Stanley-Jones home. Copyright 2023 During the last vote, the panel was split 7 to 5, with seven voting not guilty and five saying Weekley was guilty of the charge. The hyper-aggressive tactics were made worse by the fact that police had taken it upon themselves to raid both sides of a duplex, when their suspect was only known to reside in one of them. Case in point: Officer Joseph Weekley. The Michigan Supreme Court last Septembercleared the way for a trial or settlementwhen it declined to hear an appeal after two courts ruled a jury could decide whether Weekley's actions amounted to gross negligence. If convicted, he faces a maximum 15-year sentence for the manslaughter charge. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office announced. Loud voices could be heard in the jury room in Wayne County, Michigan a few hours before jurors threw in the towel in the case of Joseph Weekley on Tuesday and were dismissed. Anyone mentioned by name in any article is welcome to file a response. During Weekleys first trial, a fellow officer, Shawn Stallard, testified that he did not see anyone struggle with Weekley. Detroit Police Media Relations Director June West said Weekley returned to active duty on a "restricted" basis "a couple weeks ago.". HuffPost reporter Radley Balko wrote last year that reality shows profiling police actions support a growing "police-industrial-entertainment complex": Over the last decade or so, the cable dial has been stuffed full of programming that serves to make us more comfortable with police units that treat neighborhoods like battlefields. The city of Detroit has reached an $8.25 million settlement with the family of Stanley-Jones, who was accidentally killed by Weekley during a 2010 raid. When Detroiters rallied last year for Trayvon Martin, the unarmed Florida teen killed by a neighborhood watchman in 2012, Mertilla Jones addressed the crowd. Aiyana Mo'Nay Stanley-Jones (May 16, 2010): Jones, a seven-year-old Black girl, was shot in the head by Detroit officer Joseph Weekley during a raid on the apartment above hers. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. This is Weekley's . She pleaded no contest to the obstruction of justice charge, and the perjury charge was dropped. Sadly, for Jeremy Mardis, who will never see another Christmas or Birthday or throw the ball with his dad, the reason for the stop that night is irrelevant. Weekley, a member of an elite police unit, insists he accidentally pulled the trigger when Aiyana's grandmother grabbed his gun as officers burst through the door of her home. Feast day: Mar 19 Besides the glaring presence of toys strewn about the lawn and front porch, it is unlikely that investigators could have missed the presence of four young children and multi-generational family in the opposite unit during their surveillance of the duplex. The tainted relationship appears to be the only possible motive for the stop that night as no definitive explanation has yet to be given as to why Greenhouse was moonlighting, riding alone that night and decided to pull Few over. Look for a box or option labeled Home Page (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari) or On Startup (Chrome). 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