After prosecutors objected, the judge suspended her decision and ordered a recess until late morning. 18:48 GMT 19 Jun 2013 The event raised funds for kids with cancer. 19:48 GMT 11 Oct 2014, A trial against a Detroit police officer accused of shooting dead a seven-year-old girl ended in a mistrial after the jury became 'hopelessly deadlocked.'. Jury selection starts on Monday in Wayne County court, 15 months after Weekleys first trial ended with jurors unable to agree on a verdict. Mertilla Jones testified that Owens lived in the upper unit with her daughter, LaKrystal Sanders. During the heartbreaking trial, Chris Few, Jeremy's dad, noted that Stafford and officer Norris Greenhouse Jr. immediately started firing with no warning when they stopped him on that fateful night. 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. Weekley's new trial comes amid national conversations about police brutality and institutional racism -- conversations sparked by the death of Michael Brown, the unarmed black teen shot and killed by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri last month. FILE - In this June 18, 2013 file photo, Detroit police officer Joseph Weekley stands in Judge Cynthia Hathaway's courtroom at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice during his criminal trial in the 2010 killing of Aiyana Stanley-Jones during a police raid in Detroit. The Detroit police officer who killed seven-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones will not be retried. (CBS/AP) DETROIT - Joseph Weekley, a Detroit police officer charged in the fatal shooting of 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones, testified Thursday that he still feels "devastated and depressed". (Kathleen Galligan/Detroit Free Press via AP, File) The girl's father, Charles Jones, was convicted of second-degree murder for providing the gun used to kill Blake. 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. He will serve the sentences concurrently. An anonymous Detroit official told Mother Jones in 2010 that using the grenade was "not protocol.". Ellis was unarmed. Police threw a stun grenade through a window, emitting smoke, bright light and vibrations to confuse anyone inside. Last week, a neighbor testified that he tried to tell officers before they raided the home that children were inside. Killing of Aiyana Jones. Weekley drives the SWAT team's armored personnel carrier. Prosecutors say that Owens then left the store. 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. The other cop who shot and killed Jeremy that night has yet to go to trial. The only full justice would be to bring Aiyana back and I can't do that.". "We're really happy to help out any way we can. The city of Detroit has reached an $8.25 million settlement with the family of . So why would they come in there like that? How that happened is currently under investigation by the Michigan State Police. Then, officers stormed the house and once inside, a round from Weekley's sub-machine gun struck Aiyana in the head while she slept on a couch. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. Part of HuffPost Black Voices. Charges officially dismissed against officer Joseph Weekley WXYZ 7 Action News is metro Detroit's leading source for breaking news, weather warnings, award-w. Weekley shot and killed Aiyana Stanley-Jones on the night of May 16, 2010, as officers executed a search warrant on the duplex her family lived in. "I stuck my hands out the window. The prosecution will file an emergency appeal with the Court of Appeals, according to the Detroit News. The jury composed of nine men and four women was seated Thursday in Wayne County Circuit Court and is expected to hear opening statements Monday morning in the trial of Joseph Weekley. In February, Owens was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Detroit police officer who killed sleeping seven-year-old no longer facing charges. This button displays the currently selected search type. Officers had been. He says he accidentally fired his gun during a. We do not give legal advice. Though many details about the events surrounding Aiyana's death were revealed in the 2013 trial, a number of questions remain unanswered. 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. 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. Weekley is being retried after a jury failed to reach a verdict last year in . Whatever this website says about the law is presented in the context of how we or others perceive the applicability of the law to a set of circumstances if one of us (or some other author) was in the circumstances under the conditions discussed. Sgt. He said the settlement "won't provide full justice. According to attorneys for the Jones family, video evidence shows that at that point, Officer Joseph Weekley, a regular guest on reality television, shot inside the home, killing Aiyana. The family's attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, said the settlement should allow the family, the city and Weekley to move on from the tragedy. Joseph Weekley charged with involuntary manslaughter in death of Aiyana Jones after he was 'grossly negligent' with handling gun during a raid Claims pulled gun trigger accidentally during. Weekley was indicted in 2011 and charged with felony involuntary manslaughter, as well as the careless discharge of a firearm causing death. As the Free Thought Project reported last week,Officer Derrick Stafford wasfound guilty of manslaughter and attempted manslaughter in the horrific fatal shooting of the six-year-old with autism on November 3, 2015. 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. 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). ID 321.) 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. Fishman attempted to discredit her while requesting dismissal of the manslaughter charge. Marksville, LA Moments ago, in one of the stiffest sentences ever handed down to a cop for killing an innocent person while on duty, one of the Marksville police officers who killed 6-year-old Jeremy Mardis was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Rep. John Conyers has also asked the U.S. Department of Justice to launch an investigation into the girl's shooting death. Do Not Sell My Personal Information, If you need further help setting your homepage, check your browsers Help menu, New police chief hired at N.C. PD after entire police force resigned, 'It's a blessing': 24-year-old takes helm as N.C. police chief, Video: Bystander pins down drunk driver fleeing crash that killed a Texas police officer, SIG Sauer's ROMEO-M17: The future of the Red Dot revolution is here, 'You're going to die today': Driver traps Fla. cop inside car while speeding toward power pole, cleared the way for a trial or settlement, Open the tools menu in your browser. ', 'I don't think it's fair because he's a police officer that he gets to get away with this again. Weekley was first through the door, and saw what he thought was an empty room with a man standing in the far doorway, he testified last year. Aiyana's parents, Charles Jones and Dominika Stanley, sued Detroit police officer Joseph Weekley on behalf of their daughter's estate. The law is a gray area at best. Detroit Corporation Counsel Lawrence Garcia announced the settlement with the family of Aiyana Stanley-Jones four days before a civil trial was to begin. It was the first time any family member had stood in front of Weekley and directly accused him. Dixon's testimony did confirm that Few was, in fact, attempting to wave her down and pointing at Jeremy. The girl was shot in the head while she slept on a couch. The raid commenced at roughly 12:40 a.m. Weekley says he accidentally fired his gun during a struggle with Aiyana's grandmother. Jones insists she never touched Weekley or his gun, and she testified that he put his gun to her granddaughter's head and pulled the trigger, MLive reports. Nov. 15Trust deeds This list includes trust deeds (to secure repayment of a loan) of $750,000 or more. The death of Aiyana, who was black, has since been a rallying point for Detroit activists, who say the girl has not received justice. Weekley says he accidentally fired his gun during a struggle with Aiyana's grandmother. The fact that a police officer received such a hefty sentence is a win for victims of police misconduct across the country. Jones maintains his innocence. All too often we see police officers murder the innocent only to be exonerated by a grand jury or acquitted during a trial. Weekley had not been on the force since 2010 when he shot a sleeping child in the head during a botched raid executed on the wrong home. 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. On the night of the shooting on May 16, 2010, police and the Special Response Team went to an address in Detroit's east side to carry out a search for a murder suspect. But prosecutors charged him with involuntary manslaughter because they believe he handled his submachine gun recklessly, causing the girls death. Sally LaBorde, a passenger in the van Dixon was driving, also testified, saying she could clearly see Few pointing to Jeremy in the car, and the implication was unmistakable that he wanted Dixon to take care of his son, according to the Advocate. They were conducting a police raid in search of a murder suspect who lived at that address -- and being filmed for a reality TV show in the process -- when Officer Joseph Weekley accidentally fired his gun. Police found Owens in the upstairs flat and he was arrested. 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. During the trial, the prosecution sought to show that it was against procedure for Weekley to have his finger on the trigger of the gun and that not following his training caused the girl's death. All too often we see police officers murder the innocent only to be exonerated by a grand jury or acquitted during a trial. Officers were briefed that theyd be entering a possible dope den, in which the suspect might be armed and might even possess dangerous dogs.. Weekley was also cleared of wrongdoing in a non-fatal shooting in 2009, when he returned fire from a man aiming at officers, according to The Detroit News. After two trials without result, police officer Joseph Weekley will not face another trial for fatally shooting Aiyana Stanley-Jones, a sleeping seven-year-old, during a 2010 raid filmed by a reality TV show. Time spent in the car between cases or office meetings. Jones had previously said the shot came from outside the house. In at least one of those other raids, Weekley and his team were accused of using unnecessary force. Officer Weekley was indicted on October 4, 2011 by a Detroit grand jury, charged with Involuntary Manslaughter and Negligent Discharge of a Firearm in the tragic death of seven year old Alyania Stanley Jones in May 2010. Jurors later told the judge they couldnt reach a verdict. 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. 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. Shooting: Detroit Police Officer Joseph Weekley testifies during his first trial in Wayne County Circuit Court in Detroit, Michigan, his second trial was declared a mistrial on Friday Judge. Weekley, a member of an elite police squad, was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Aiyana, who was shot in the head in May 2010 while sleeping on her grandmother's couch. 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