7-Year-Old Girl Killed in Detroit Police Raid

[Flaneur]

Source: CNN

CNN) -- Police in Detroit, Michigan, on Sunday expressed "profound sorrow" at the fatal shooting of a 7-year-old girl in a police raid.

Aiyana Jones was shot and killed by police executing a search warrant as part of a homicide investigation, Assistant Chief Ralph Godbee said in a statement.

"This is any parent's worst nightmare," Godbee said. "It also is any police officer's worst nightmare. And today, it is all too real."

The warrant was executed about 12:40 a.m. ET Sunday at a home on the city's east side, Godbee said. Authorities believed the suspect in the Friday shooting death of 17-year-old high school student Jarean Blake was hiding out at the home. Blake was gunned down in front of a store as his girlfriend watched, Godbee said.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/16/michigan.police.child/

---

These forcible entry raids are dangerous--much more so for residents than police.

Why don't the cops just wait for the guy to go to the 7-11?

[Flaneur]

1. More detail:

From the CNN story:

Preliminary information indicates that members of the Detroit Police Special Response Team approached the house and announced themselves as police, Godbee said, citing the officers and at least one independent witness.

"As is common in these types of situations, the officers deployed a distractionary device commonly known as a flash bang," he said in the statement. "The purpose of the device is to temporarily disorient occupants of the house to make it easier for officers to safely gain control of anyone inside and secure the premise."

Upon entering the home, the officer encountered a 46-year-old female inside the front room, Godbee said. "Exactly what happened next is a matter still under investigation, but it appears the officer and the woman had some level of physical contact.

"At about this time, the officer's weapon discharged one round which, tragically, struck 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley Jones in the neck/head area."

[tblue37]

44. "The WEAPON discharged one round"??!! Was the officer not in control of his weapon?

I thought the NRA mantra was "Guns don't kill people. People kill people." If this gun discharged itself, as that article's phasing (no doubt borrowed directly from the police department's CYA comments) implies, then that mantra is going to have to be revised!

[ManiacJoe]

47. The woman was struggling with the cop over the gun...

... according to other reports. Had she not been doing that, the girl would not have been accidentally shot.

[LaydeeBug]

61. of COURSE that's what the reports SAY. nt

[ManiacJoe]

63. Until there is evidence/witnesses otherwise....

[msanthrope]

73. How about video of the cops shooting into the house before entering, but

after the flash-bang, which apparently landed on the girl?


Geoffrey Fieger: Video contradicts Detroit police account of fatal shooting of Aiyana Jones
By The Associated Press
May 17, 2010, 5:24PM
An attorney for the family of a 7-year-old girl who was killed by a police officer's bullet during a weekend raid at their home said Monday that he saw video of the raid that contradicts the police department's version of what happened.

Attorney Geoffrey Fieger said he watched three or four minutes of video that showed police fired into the home after lobbing a flash grenade through the window. He said this contradicts the police department's story, which was that the officer's gun discharged during a struggle or collision inside the home with the girl's grandmother.

"There is no question about what happened because it's in the videotape," Fieger said. "It's not an accident. It's not a mistake. There was no altercation.

"The gun was fired before anyone goes through the door. There are lights all over, like it's a television set."



more at link--

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2010/05/geoffrey_fieger_takes_on_aiyan.html

[ManiacJoe]

80. Excellent. Now we are getting somewhere.

Well, as soon as the video is actually available....

[msanthrope]

74. There's video that contradicts the Detroit PD story---

Geoffrey Fieger: Video contradicts Detroit police account of fatal shooting of Aiyana Jones
By The Associated Press
May 17, 2010, 5:24PM
An attorney for the family of a 7-year-old girl who was killed by a police officer's bullet during a weekend raid at their home said Monday that he saw video of the raid that contradicts the police department's version of what happened.

Attorney Geoffrey Fieger said he watched three or four minutes of video that showed police fired into the home after lobbing a flash grenade through the window. He said this contradicts the police department's story, which was that the officer's gun discharged during a struggle or collision inside the home with the girl's grandmother.

"There is no question about what happened because it's in the videotape," Fieger said. "It's not an accident. It's not a mistake. There was no altercation

MORE AT link


http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2010/05/geoffrey_fieger_takes_on_aiyan.html

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Oh god!

:cry:

[hlthe2b]

3. Witholding judgement as I can see how this could happen...

But, it is horrifically tragic, nonetheless.

[Odin2005]

4. Fucking PIGS!!!

:grr: :cry:

[stray cat]

27. You mean union members?

[fascisthunter]

71. self-delete

[givemebackmycountry]

5. Couple of weeks ago, the story in Columbia, Missouri?

Where a swat team shot that family's dog?
There was a 7 year old little boy present?
Running around, scared out of his mind?
They got a crusty bowl and microscopic amount of weed?

This shit is getting out of control.

[Supply Side Jesus]

8. they were looking for a HOMICIDE suspect

not waging the ridiculous war on weed

[Webster Green]

23. Yeah, and the dumb-ass fucking pigs were at the wrong house.

The mutherfuckers do this shit all the time! Raiding the wrong house, and entering with guns drawn, throwing flash grenades, and trashing everything and everyone in sight. They do it for pot just as quickly as they do it for homicide investigations.

I hope this poor family winds up with a huge settlement. The fucking pigs should be locked up, but they won't ever face justice. They are above the law.

[MadMaddie]

42. The suspect was not in the apartment where the 7 year old died

he was in the apartment above.

[Nailzberg]

52. It was a duplex house, not quite the same as an apartment.

From the looks of the building, it appears to be a converted single-family home. I suspect common areas such as entryways, stairwells, maybe even shared kitchen and bathrooms. It would appear the police knew the address but not if the suspect would be in the upstairs or downstairs portion. SRT would need to secure the both units in that case, and a judge agreed by signing the warrant.

Its tragic, but I'd let the investigation play out before we start the whole "Goddamn Pigs" postings.

[MadMaddie]

79. I agree I want to hear the details

[Taverner]

68. Fuck em - Its time the police were afraid of us instead of vice versa

[guruoo]

9. There's got to be a better way....

Columbia Mo SWAT Raid 2/11/2010. Cops Shoot Pets With Children Present
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbwSwvUaRqc

[slackmaster]

6. Only the police are properly trained and professional enough...

...to be trusted with firearms.

[Township75]

32. Just what i was thinking!

!

[TheCowsCameHome]

46. Agreed.

[Supply Side Jesus]

7. More than one life was destroyed

tragic

[buckrogers1965]

10. Shameful

How can someone live after having killed a child?

[Faygo Kid]

11. Born and raised in Detroit. Nothing surprises me anymore.

My heart aches for my hometown, and especially this innocent little girl and her family.

It may not be popular here, but the cop's life is also ruined forever. Nothing good to be said here.

[Skip Intro]

12. Tragic, but in fairness, all info should be considered...

http://www.freep.com/article/20100516/NEWS01/100516012/1001/NEWS/Detroit-girl-7-fatally-shot-by-officer-during-search

The 46-year-old grandmother of the girl shot was in the front room of the house and had a physical tussle with the first officer when his gun discharged, hitting Aiyana Stanley Jones in the head and neck area, police said. She was sleeping on a couch in the room.

...

“We have executed countless high risk warrants where children have been present,” Godbee told the Free Press this morning. “This was a perfect storm for tragedy.”

The woman involved in the tussle has been taken into custody, as is the suspect sought in Blake’s death, although no charges have been issued yet.

-----------------------

"Detroiters cope in city of violence"

http://www.freep.com/article/20100516/NEWS01/5160481/1001/NEWS/Detroiters-cope-in-city-of-violence


Residents say the spate of recent homicides in Detroit have left them feeling fearful and powerless.

Though city officials say crime incidents are decreasing overall, residents say scarce police presence, high unemployment and abandoned homes are fueling criminal activity in their neighborhoods.

They see a scarcity of hope, especially in neighborhoods where three residents -- Geraldine Jackson, Avondre Donel and David Adams Jr. -- all going about their daily lives, were recently killed by stray bullets.

...

Godbee said the city's plan is to target violent crime, using data and assistance from other agencies, like the FBI, to target so-called hot spots, identifying patterns and frequency. And, Godbee says, the plan is working: Homicides are down, so far, from 138 this time last year to 108 this year, according to figures released by the Detroit Police Department on Friday morning. Later Friday, Jerean Blake, 17, became No. 109. He was shot to death outside a store at 2:20 p.m.

-----------------------------


It is tragic that the little girl was killed, but the following is reported to be true:

Residents are demanding police do something about skyrocketing crime which has claimed over 100 lives so far this year

In this case, when police entered the home, a woman engaged one of the officers in some sort of scuffle, during which his gun was discharged

Police did find the suspect in the murder of Jarean Blake inside the home

I suspect this thread and the one to follow in GD will turn into another DU cop-bashing fiesta. But given the facts as they are reported now, this seems like a sad and tragic accident and not some cops gone wild episode.

[elocs]

13. In a scuffle with a 46 year old grandmother who evidently was unarmed

why would a police officer have a weapon drawn and how does it simply "discharge"? That certainly seems to be irresponsible and negligent. Not a cop gone wild, but certainly very stupid.

[SpartanDem]

15. This was a raid for a homicide suspect why wouldn't they have weapons drawn?

You don't politely knock on a door in that situation. If the grandmother and the officer were fighting I can see how the the gun might go off.

[Skip Intro]

16. I'm guessing he went into the house with it drawn. The woman shouldn't have engaged him physically.

I don't think it is negligent, after announcing that you are the police and about to enter - in search of a homicide suspect - that you enter with your guns drawn.

Again, all the facts are not in, and I'm sure the picture of what happened will become more clear. But given the info available, while I am sad that the girl was injured and died, I just don't see this as a case of "F**king Pigs" as another poster put it.

[elocs]

29. Drawn or not, how does a gun just "discharge"?

Really? These are professionals and the gun just discharges?

[Skip Intro]

38. In a physical altercation, with the gun drawn?

Is it really easier to believe the cop purposely shot a 7 yr old girl, while there to, by the way, to find the killer of a 17 year old boy?

[Nailzberg]

53. It may be a tangent, but this reminds me of my biggest LEO pet peeve on DU.

Every time someone gets tasered in the US, DUers are always asking why the officer didn't just tackle the guy. Weapon retention is why. When you get into a melee situation with someone, and you are carrying a loaded weapon, there is always the possibility a weapon may discharge accidentally, or even worse, the suspect may retrieve the weapon.

Even though there was no tasers involved here, I think it's relevant to the ongoing taser debate as this is a perfect example of what bad can happen when law enforcement is in a wrestling match.

[Mike K]

36. This is not an isolated incident.

Go here: http://www.cato.org/raidmap/

I am old enough to remember a time in America when the only circumstances that would justify this kind of no-knock raid on a private residence would be the last resort need to apprehend a dangerous threat to society or something equally expedient. The reason for this raid was that of arresting a homicide suspect. A suspect, not a known perpetrator. Not a mass murderer. Not a known terrorist.

A suspect, whom they could have staked out the premises for and arrested when he came out. These commando raids are increasingly common and the likely reason for it is these cowboy cops enjoy the excitement. It beats the hell out of sitting in a parked car all night waiting for someone to come out.

The raid on the MOVE house in Philadelphia ended with the burning down of a whole city block. The raid on the Davidian complex in Waco ended with the incineration of 25 innocent children, some as young as age two. The Ruby Ridge raid ended with the wholly unnecessary killing of an innocent man's wife and son. And on and on. Those are just the ones we hear about because they became too big to suppress. In all too many cases these commando raids are executed on the wrong premises -- and it could happen to any of us.

Regardless of any supposed justification these raids are essentially at odds with what living in America is about. This is the kind of thing we used to read about in reports from the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, South Africa and other totalitarian states. We should not allow it except under the most extreme circumstances.

There is no way this child's death can be justified!

[Skip Intro]

39. Good Lord. You're relating this to Waco and Nazi Germany?

This place sometimes...

[TheMadMonk]

55. Waco and others, because there WERE ways those situation could...

...have been handled that did not involve huge numbers of screaming cops and lots of "newsworthy" drama.

Nazi and Soviets (among others) because they used these jackbooted tactics to keep the populace cowed and in line.

[Taverner]

69. Waco was actually justified. This was not

[Nailzberg]

50. Suspect means he's wanted for the crime.

There was a language shift in law enforcement after the Atlanta Olympic bombings. If you recall, they had suspicions about a security guard, and told the media they were interviewing a suspect, who they later cleared, but it ruined that guy's life.

If law enforcement isn't sure, they now use the term "person of interest". In this Detroit case there had to be enough compelling evidence for a judge to sign off on a no-knock warrant. I'm not privy to all the evidence the DA and homicide investigators presented the court, but from the article they had eyewitnesses and positive ID on the vehicles involved in the homicide, to characterize it as a bunch of cowboys just barging in on a random house isn't fair to the debate over what happened.

I expect a full investigation into this incident, but until then I'm not throwing the book at anyone. Its a huge embarrassment to me as a liberal that we claim to be the open-minded party, but are always quick to pull out the broad brush when the topic is law enforcement.

[msanthrope]

72. They didn't annouce they were cops---it was a no-knock warrant. How do you hear after a flash-bang,

anyway?

[jberryhill]

17. Why?

Because a murder suspect was inside that home.

Not all of the facts are known here yet. It may turn out that harboring a killer in your house and fighting with the police when they come to arrest a murderer is a hazardous situation.

[TreasonousBastard]

31. Yeah.....

"I suspect this thread and the one to follow in GD will turn into another DU cop-bashing fiesta. "

It has.

We all know there are sadistic, inept, and racist cops out there, but have any of the kneejerk cop bashers out there had, as part of their jobs, going into a place where there just might be a number of guns pointed at the door?

Catching murderers is not a safe or easy job for good cops. No matter how good they are.

This was a tragedy all around.

(And any minute now Al Sharpton, or one of his acolytes, will be on the scene to stir up more shit.)

[Skip Intro]

41. Yeah, I knew it was coming. You're probably right about Sharpton too.

Never one to miss a chance to get in front of the cameras.

It's really startling, though, the kneejerk DU cop bashing. No reasoning, no logic, facts be dammed. And there are replies no hinting that the girl was shot because she's black. Another poster is comparing this to Nazi Germany. :crazy:

[NOLALady]

77. I hope you are correct about Sharpton.

Someone should be on the scene.

[msanthrope]

75. There's video that contradicts the 'grandmother altercation' story---

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2010/05/geoffrey_fieger_takes_on_aiyan.html

[bemildred]

14. Godbee says they got the perp.

I want to see if that holds up.

[rocktivity]

18. If they got the perp, shouldn't the arrest now be public record?

:shrug:
rocktivity

[bemildred]

19. We are going to find out, I can predict that. nt

[Old Vet]

21. Why these guys put there lives on the line...................

To help people I will never understand. I lived in Detroit, Thats one dangerous place. Yeah theres a couple bad apples in any organization, But in general most are alright. What sane person would think this cop shot this poor girl on purpose, They were hunting a KILLER. Sounds like the woman was struggling with the cop and his his firearm discharged, They found the accused killer hiding in another room. Just a sad, sad, Tragedy for both the girls family and the cop who has to live with this. Not to mention the murdered boy, Well see how this plays out.

[bemildred]

24. I don't think he shot the girl on purpose.

I think raiding the house at 1:00 in the morning is an invitation to violent confrontation. It ought not be done unless they are SURE the perp is there, because it is going to result in dead and injured people, including cops and kids, like driving leads to accidents. There are worse things than the perp not being apprehended immediately.

[Skip Intro]

43. About as thankless a job as I can imagine. I don't know why they do it either.

But I am glad that they do.

[OJones]

20. If there were no videos

of the NYC Critical Mass attacks or of the Seattle beating, the police might have escaped blame by claiming they were "accidents," or by blaming the victims. Yes, the force seems stuck between a rock/hard place in this neighborhood, but I think there should be an independent investigation into the "scuffle."

I wonder if she was actually fighting back, or if her actions led to the child's death? Even with an investigation/court case, we may never really know.

[LarryNM]

22. Agreed about the Danger of these Forced Entry Raids

Early morning hours, people asleep, confusion ensues. "Executing" a search warrant, "destractionary device", "approached" the house - Always the Euphemisms.

[SpartanDem]

25. The suspect lived in the same house, but a different part of the duplex

the police raided both parts of the house.


The shooting happened at 12:40 a.m., when officers from the Special Response Team executed a no-knock search warrant on a duplex in the 4000 block of Lillibridge on the city's east side. Police say an officer's gun discharged when he had a confrontation with a 46-year-old woman, and a single bullet struck 7-year-old Aiyana Jones in the neck as she slept on a nearby couch.

"They came into my house with a flash grenade and a bullet," said Charles Jones, father of the slain girl. "They say my mother (Mertilla Jones) resisted them, that she tried to take an officer's gun. My mother had never been in handcuffs in her life. They killed my baby and I want someone to tell the truth."

Police said they arrested the 34-year-old suspect in the shooting death of 17-year-old Jerean Blake, but Jones and his relatives say that suspect wasn't in their apartment. Jones said police simultaneously raided the upstairs apartment, too.

"Based on our intelligence, we got a search warrant for the location (on Lillibridge)," Godbee said. "Because of the violent nature of the crime, we thought we were entering a potentially dangerous situation."

Officers tossed the explosive device through the glass of an unopened window at the front of the house, Jones said. He said he rushed from a back bedroom to see his mother being pushed to the floor and another officer carrying his bleeding daughter from the house.

Godbee said they entered the apartment and the girl's grandmother grappled with an officer.

"According to our officers and at least one independent witness, the officers announced themselves as police officers before going in," Godbee said.



From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100516/METRO/5160325/Police-accidentally-shoot-7-year-old-girl-in-house-search#ixzz0o8HcC29O

[bemildred]

26. They are so screwed. nt

[Quantess]

28. A 7 year old black girl. Am I right about that?

Now I'll click on the link....

Upon edit: Yes, a very pretty little black girl.

[Jester Messiah]

34. I don't give a shit if she's ugly as sin. She didn't deserve to die. [nt]

[demigoddess]

37. he or she is pointing out that they never seem to shoot little white children

during these raids. And she was pretty. I wonder why they never seem to pick any time other than night. like maybe when the kids are in school. When the suspect leaves the house?? They always seem to attack at night. we have had a number of times when they have hit the wrong house, when they were mistaken for invaders not police, and a number of times when the police shot someone other than the criminal they were looking for.

[Psephos]

59. Detroit's population is 82% black. Not very many little white children to shoot.

Two-thirds of the police dept. is black. The mayor is black. The chief of police is black. The head of the Special Response Team team is black. From what I saw of the SRT on the A&E TV show "SWAT," the majority of the SRT is black.

The murder suspect the cops were chasing is black. Everyone in the house in which he was hiding, and where the little girl was on the sofa, was black.

Call it a wild guess, but I'm thinking that race was not a factor here.

[Nailzberg]

56. Before making this a racial thing, realize the team leader of Detroit SRT is black.

As are a majority of the unit. So is the police chief, the mayor, and 63% of Detroit PD.

Yes, its tragic, but I don't believe race had a thing to do with it.

[Quantess]

60. I'm not accusing anyone in the Detroit PD of being racist,

But these things seem to happen disproportionately to black people.

[Nailzberg]

67. Yep, it certainly does. The corporate criminals have too much influence.

Our justice system seems focused on $50 crimes and not $50,000,000 crimes. Where are the no-knock warrants for Goldman Sachs execs?

[NOLALady]

78. When I see black or white police

cause as many tragedies in white communities as black communities, then I will believe race has nothing to do with it.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

30. I hate American Police

Ignorant dishonest pigs!

And of course DU's police arse kissers are out in force defending them like they always do.

I don't believe for one moment that the grandmother tried to disarm the child killing cop. It takes a video to get these fuckers to tell the truth.

I notice they always video tape prison cell extractions to prove they are not abusing convicted prisoners, now how about showing the same respect to the innocent until proven guilty crowd.

How about video taping every time they have a search warrant or enter a persons home for any reason, that way we can see if they are doing the job we pay them to do any not having a bit of fun shooting peoples pets and little black girls.

[Webster Green]

35. I hate them too.

The next one that fucks with me is going to have shitload of paperwork to deal with. (One way or the other):grr:

[Supply Side Jesus]

45. Big talk behind a computer monitor

big talk...

[Webster Green]

48. Not really.

I'm not scared of them. I just hate them.

I've been into it with them a couple of times. Didn't work out that great for me actually, but I'll do it again if they fuck with me.

There was lots of paperwork. They hate that.

[Taverner]

70. I am the son of a Police Officer

I love my dad, but damn if they aren't drunk on power

Cop Apologists here should be ashamed of themselves

[PM Martin]

33. Post #27, the one union that needs to be broken.

:puke:

[Nailzberg]

57. You talking about the Screen Actors Guild?

[Bonobo]

40. Maybe we should stop scraping the bottom of the barrel when hiring police.

Admit it, we hire some rather dumb fucks to be cops. Not exactly the best and brightest.

If you don't admit it, I think you are just in denial. I am not saying ALL, but the type that generally join up in law enforcement are already prone to violent solutions.

[Nailzberg]

58. Actually, in this economy, we get smarter cops and firefighters.

When the economy is bad, like it has been for ten years, public service positions get much more competitive. Decent middle class wages, great benefits package (My dad went to the fire service, smart as hell, did 34 years and the city took care of my family better than most private sector people in our neighborhood.) Smart people line up to take the tests in this economy. I took the Chicago police exam in 2003, and with a 160 IQ ended up 3rd on the eligibility list, so there were some damn smart people taking that test.

In a place like Detroit, which has been under economic stress for decades, those public service jobs start to look pretty good to smart people. Unfortunately, Detroit has lax standards compared to most urban departments, but its test based hiring, so its still pretty bright people getting hired.

I'm not saying there aren't dumb cops. I think the problem is many departments will swap a college degree for four years military service. And I personally know some really smart veterans, but I know some dumbfucks, too. Four years of service doesn't equal a thoughtful mind. I know a lot of guys that come out of the military with no college, and got hired in small rural departments, mostly county sheriff departments, which usually have lower standards. Less pay and less benefits. But nationwide, I don't think we are hiring dumb cops left and right. Try getting into LAPD without bilingual skills and a degree. It's becoming the norm nationwide.

[billyoc]

49. Detroit still has cops?

[provis99]

51. Detroit still has people?

[Name removed]

54. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

62. I always have the same questions when I read these stories

These police "raids". Over time we have read ad nauseum about grandmothers being shot, pets being shot, the wrong houses being raided, now children being shot.

What is the point and purpose of these raids in the first place? Why can't the police come in the middle of the night and surround the house? Then they can turn on their flashing lights, call the house, use bullhorns, and tell all the occupants of the house to come out in 3 minutes or they are going to throw in tear gas cannisters and then enter.

I think half the time the people in the houses being raided,number one , are unclear whether it is the police or a home invasion.That is probably why the grandmother was grappling with the policeman.

What is the point of conducting these types of raids the way they do? Isn't the point to arrest some suspected perp? Wouldn't the way I outlined above accomplish exactly the same thing without dead bystanders? Can't they just put the house under surveillance and arrest someone when they come out in the normal course of events in their front yard or driveway? There was a recent case here in this area where a police officer ended up being killed by the guy they were raiding who claimed he thought he was being home invaded. Many people made the point - sheesh, the guy comes out of the house every single morning to go to work, why not just wait until he's in his own driveway? And this was just one guy with a few pot plants.

[BreweryYardRat]

64. Looks like it may actually have been accidental, not a deliberate abuse of authority.

However, their tactics in attempting to apprehend the suspect were obviously deeply flawed.

[msanthrope]

76. Shooting into a house with children isn't an accident--it's negligent homicide. n/t

[sonias]

65. I am so sorry to hear about this child's death

May Aiyana Jones rest in peace and my condolences to her family. Absolutely horrific.

:cry:

[truthisfreedom]

66. Incredibly tragic for everyone involved.

My deepest sympathy goes out to the child's family.