Sleeping 7-year-old girl shot in head during no-knock police raid on wrong home, Charges Dismissed Against Joseph Weekley, Cop Who Fatally Shot Sleeping 7-Year-Old, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QeD1uUgmKw. "Then I started freaking out a little bit.". "Aiyana's death was a tragic loss for her family and has been a heavy burden on our community. All too often we see police officers murder the innocent only to be exonerated by a grand jury or acquitted during a trial. By 'They knew there were children in there. Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway declared a mistrial in the case for the second time after the first trial ended in a hung jury in June 2013. He has been profiled by the A&E show "Detroit SWAT.". During the trial, Steve Fishman, Weekley's attorney, told jurors that the officer mistakenly pulled the trigger during a struggle with Mertilla Jones, the girl's grandmother. The trial for Weekley, a white officer, in the death of a black child has caused some to draw parallels to the case of Michael Brown, the unarmed teen fatally shot by Police Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, in August. In a statement released yesterday, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said after two mistrials,. Mertilla Jones, who witnessed Detroit police officer Joe Weekley shoot her granddaughter Aiyana in May 2010, speaks at Grand Circus Park on July 14, 2013 in Detroit. Jurors later told the judge they couldnt reach a verdict. Nobody alleges that Officer Joseph Weekley intended to kill Aiyana Stanley-Jones, who had been sleeping on a couch near the front door when officers burst through around midnight in search of a murder suspect. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. It said: No matter the outcome of any jury's decision, I have already been devastated and my life has been ruined irreparably by the events that occurred on May 16, 2010. 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. Defendant Joseph Weekely, right, and A&E producer Allison Howard, who was at the raid, sit in. They kept firing.". Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. He said the settlement "won't provide full justice. Mark Diaz, union president of the Detroit Police Officers Association, said he was disappointed by the decision. 18:48 GMT 19 Jun 2013 Joseph Weekley shot Aiyana Stanley-Jones in 2010 Officer charged with involuntary manslaughter. Find the perfect carolina edgecombe stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. He says he accidentally fired his gun during. He told The Huffington Post that he questioned the motives of officials who "zealously" went after the father of a girl shot by a cop, describing the prosecution's case as extremely thin. To read the full Conyers story, click here. 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Joseph / ( dzf) / noun Old Testament the eleventh son of Jacob and one of the 12 patriarchs of Israel (Genesis 30:2-24) either or both of two tribes descended from his sons Ephraim and Manasseh Saint Joseph New Testament the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus (Matthew 1:16-25). Jose Guerena, 26, was a Marine Corps veteran who'd served two tours of duty in Iraq. The Michigan State Police are investigating the shooting. by a Detroit police officer, Joseph Weekley. 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. Lexipol. Some jurors felt Weekley, should not have allowed his gun to discharge because of his training as a member of the Special Response Team, while others could not determine what happened. "I stuck my hands out the window. According to the Advocate,Megan Dixon, Fews fiance at the time, said Few had a previous run-in with Greenhouse. The base salary for News Anchor ranges from $51,971 to $85,465 with the average base salary of $64,795. Weekley is also charged with careless discharge of a weapon causing death, a misdemeanor that might not carry a jail sentence if he is convicted, according to the Detroit News. The officers entered Stanley-Joness home searching for a murder suspect who was later found in the adjacent unit, throwing a flashbang grenade into the room where the girl was sleeping with her grandmother, then shooting her in the head seconds later. Officer on trial: Joseph Weekley testifies in his own defense I know in my heart and before God that what transpired that day was out of my control, but I will still have terrible grief weigh upon me every day for the rest of my life, his statement said. , updated Last year the city settled with Aiyana's family for $8.25 million. and The trial featured a multicultural jury made up of eight women and four men, four of whom were African Americans. Officer Joseph Weekley had been charged in the death of Aiyana Stanley Jones. "Innocent people do not run from the police. He said Detroit police are trained to push away anyone who tries to grab an officers gun or to move the weapon in a J shape to keep control of it. Copyright 2003 by ClickOnDetroit.com. 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. It was Owens they were after. Owens was later convicted of murder in the death of 17-year-old Je'rean Blake, who was fatally shot outside a convenience store days before the raid. 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. Jones maintains his innocence. Owens was later convicted of murder in the death of 17-year-old Je'rean Blake, who was fatally shot outside a convenience store days before the raid. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. But supporters of the seven-year-old victim, Aiyana Jones, said they believe the jury was unable to reach a decision due to race. She said she'd initially been asleep on the couch with Aiyana, but that she was on the floor when Weekley shot his weapon, not close enough to touch the gun. A flash-bang grenade shattered the front bay window and exploded seconds before the Weekley-led Special Response Team barged though the front door. Police staged a so-called safety briefing shortly before the raid; undoubtedly focusing on their own safety rather than the safety of unknown innocents behind the doors they were about to kick in. DETROIT, MI -- It's been five years since Detroit Police Officer Joseph Weekley led a SWAT team in search of a murder suspect and fatally shot 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. It should be of no surprise then, when we learn of SWAT raids not just for low-level drug crimes, but also for zoning violations or underage drinking, or that there are now police departments in America that serve every felony search warrant with a SWAT team, regardless of the crime. Photo by Thomas Alex Graves. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). The family's attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, said the settlement should allow the family, the city and Weekley to . Final charges against Joseph Weekley, a police officer who shot dead a 7-year-old girl, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, in Detroit in May 2010, were dismissed on Friday, leaving a family bereft and raising serious concern among national groups over an increasingly militarized police force. Joseph Weekley testifying at first trial in June, 2013. Weekley was first tried in connection with Aiyana's death in 2013, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict. It was the first time any family member had stood in front of Weekley and directly accused him. Daily Mail Reporter 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. Moments earlier, Aiyana was sleeping beneath a "Hanna Montana" blanket on the couch next to her grandmother. Information includes the borrower, lender, address or legal description of the property . 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. Similar feelings were shared when police officer Jeronimo Yanez was acquitted by a grand jury after he shot and killed Philando Castile, . Armed with MP5 submachine guns, adrenaline, and an unhealthy fear for officer safety, the raiders shuffled past the toys that littered the front yard and ignored the two distinct street address signs hanging on either side of the shared porch of the multi-unit building; 4056 was on the left, 4054 was on the right. By This may be called Tools or use an icon like the cog. 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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 "The only evidence that points to any kind of knowingly creating a danger or intending to cause injury, the only testimony is that of Mertilla Jones, which is by its nature and by comparison to the other testimony, including the medical examiner, is completely and totally unbelievable," Fishman told the judge on Friday. In 2007, police raided the home of Martin Westbrook, who at that time was allegedly already in custody for an armed robbery. 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. Police neglected to account for or flatly disregarded the safety of any potential children that might be present. 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