Anti Federalist
10-05-2011, 06:53 PM
Detroit police officer charged in shooting death of Aiyana Stanley-Jones, 7, during raid
http://www.freep.com/article/20111004/NEWS01/111004022/Detroit-police-officer-charged-shooting-death-Aiyana-Stanley-Jones-7-during-raid?odyssey=nav|head
Detroit Police Officer Joseph Weekley has been arraigned on an indictment on charges of involuntary manslaughter and careless and reckless discharge of a firearm causing death in the May 2010 slaying of Aiyana Stanley-Jones during a raid.
Also charged in an indictment is Allison Howard, 42, of Boston. She is charged with perjury and obstruction of justice. Wayne County prosecutors said Howard was a photographer with “The First 48,” which had a crew following the Special Response Team the night of the raid.
Weekley and Howard will be back in court Friday for a pretrial hearing before Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway.
Assistant prosecutor Robert Moran told the court that she lied during the investigative subpoena, adding seven months onto the investigation into the shooting by Michigan State Police.
But her lawyer, Robert Harrison, said she will be cleared.
"This is just a horrible thing when she was just doing her job," he said. "This is just a terrible, awful kind of circumstance that shouldn't happen and it will be corrected."
She's a 15-year, highly respected veteran of video production, he said.
Worthy said she couldn’t comment on the indictments of Weekley and Howard.
The two were arraigned before Wayne County Circuit Judge Margie Braxton.
Charles Jones, Aiyana’s father, was arrested today and is facing at least 5 charges: First–degree murder, felon in possession of a firearm, felony firearm, habitual fourth offense and perjury at a court proceeding in the shooting of Je’Rean Blake, a teen killed two days before the raid, Worthy said.
He is to be arraigned in 36th District Court Wednesday.
Also charged in Blake’s murder is Chauncey Owens, who admitted to killing the 17-year-old and had agreed to testify that Charles Jones gave him the gun he used in the shooting after Blake gave him a dirty look.
Owens had been the target of the raid on the Lillibridge home on the city’s east side.
Weekley fatally shot Aiyana on May 16, 2010, when police entered the home searching for a shooting suspect. The police were accompanied by the camera crew filming a reality-style cable TV show.
Police sources previously told the Free Press that, during the raid, Weekley was first through the door and that the girl’s grandmother, Mertilla Jones, tried to grab his gun, which fired and hit Aiyana. Jones has denied this accusation.
Steve Fishman, Weekley’s attorney, said Weekley didn’t do anything criminal.
“He knows he didn’t do anything wrong,” Fishman said. “He knows he was acting as a police officer on a dangerous mission.”
In March, the prosecutor’s office received a warrant request from the Michigan State police, which investigated the shooting.
The Stanley-Jones family lawyer Geoffrey Fieger said he is still concerned about a recording of the shooting that he was shown that is different than one made by a camera crew from television reality show “The First 48.” That second video has not been located since it was privately shown to Fieger.
"All I know is that the (missing) video is pretty dramatic,” he said. “You can see the gunman shooting into the house from the outside.”
The video that police have “is very different,” he said. “It doesn’t show a thing.”
Fieger contends the shot came from outside of the house and struck Aiyana while she was sleeping with her grandmother on a living room couch.
The Michigan State Police conducted a 10-month investigation into Aiyana's killing, and in March submitted a warrant request to prosecutors.
An independent autopsy contradicted initial reports that Aiyana was shot through the neck. Macomb County Medical Examiner Daniel Spitz determined that the shot struck Aiyana in the top of the head and the bullet exited through her neck.
Bing: Use this difficult moment to bring community, police together
Detroit Mayor Dave Bing released a statement today: "We respect the legal process regarding this tragic incident. Our condolences remain with all affected by this tragedy. On behalf of Chief Godbee and all of members of the Detroit Police Department, we must use this difficult moment to continue bringing our community and police department together."
Godbee also released a statement: "Regarding the duty status of Police Officer Joseph Weekley, I will forward this matter to the Board of Police Commissioners for review pursuant to the Detroit Police Department policy."
The mayor’s office said there will be no further comments because of the pending cases.
http://www.freep.com/article/20111004/NEWS01/111004022/Detroit-police-officer-charged-shooting-death-Aiyana-Stanley-Jones-7-during-raid?odyssey=nav|head
Detroit Police Officer Joseph Weekley has been arraigned on an indictment on charges of involuntary manslaughter and careless and reckless discharge of a firearm causing death in the May 2010 slaying of Aiyana Stanley-Jones during a raid.
Also charged in an indictment is Allison Howard, 42, of Boston. She is charged with perjury and obstruction of justice. Wayne County prosecutors said Howard was a photographer with “The First 48,” which had a crew following the Special Response Team the night of the raid.
Weekley and Howard will be back in court Friday for a pretrial hearing before Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway.
Assistant prosecutor Robert Moran told the court that she lied during the investigative subpoena, adding seven months onto the investigation into the shooting by Michigan State Police.
But her lawyer, Robert Harrison, said she will be cleared.
"This is just a horrible thing when she was just doing her job," he said. "This is just a terrible, awful kind of circumstance that shouldn't happen and it will be corrected."
She's a 15-year, highly respected veteran of video production, he said.
Worthy said she couldn’t comment on the indictments of Weekley and Howard.
The two were arraigned before Wayne County Circuit Judge Margie Braxton.
Charles Jones, Aiyana’s father, was arrested today and is facing at least 5 charges: First–degree murder, felon in possession of a firearm, felony firearm, habitual fourth offense and perjury at a court proceeding in the shooting of Je’Rean Blake, a teen killed two days before the raid, Worthy said.
He is to be arraigned in 36th District Court Wednesday.
Also charged in Blake’s murder is Chauncey Owens, who admitted to killing the 17-year-old and had agreed to testify that Charles Jones gave him the gun he used in the shooting after Blake gave him a dirty look.
Owens had been the target of the raid on the Lillibridge home on the city’s east side.
Weekley fatally shot Aiyana on May 16, 2010, when police entered the home searching for a shooting suspect. The police were accompanied by the camera crew filming a reality-style cable TV show.
Police sources previously told the Free Press that, during the raid, Weekley was first through the door and that the girl’s grandmother, Mertilla Jones, tried to grab his gun, which fired and hit Aiyana. Jones has denied this accusation.
Steve Fishman, Weekley’s attorney, said Weekley didn’t do anything criminal.
“He knows he didn’t do anything wrong,” Fishman said. “He knows he was acting as a police officer on a dangerous mission.”
In March, the prosecutor’s office received a warrant request from the Michigan State police, which investigated the shooting.
The Stanley-Jones family lawyer Geoffrey Fieger said he is still concerned about a recording of the shooting that he was shown that is different than one made by a camera crew from television reality show “The First 48.” That second video has not been located since it was privately shown to Fieger.
"All I know is that the (missing) video is pretty dramatic,” he said. “You can see the gunman shooting into the house from the outside.”
The video that police have “is very different,” he said. “It doesn’t show a thing.”
Fieger contends the shot came from outside of the house and struck Aiyana while she was sleeping with her grandmother on a living room couch.
The Michigan State Police conducted a 10-month investigation into Aiyana's killing, and in March submitted a warrant request to prosecutors.
An independent autopsy contradicted initial reports that Aiyana was shot through the neck. Macomb County Medical Examiner Daniel Spitz determined that the shot struck Aiyana in the top of the head and the bullet exited through her neck.
Bing: Use this difficult moment to bring community, police together
Detroit Mayor Dave Bing released a statement today: "We respect the legal process regarding this tragic incident. Our condolences remain with all affected by this tragedy. On behalf of Chief Godbee and all of members of the Detroit Police Department, we must use this difficult moment to continue bringing our community and police department together."
Godbee also released a statement: "Regarding the duty status of Police Officer Joseph Weekley, I will forward this matter to the Board of Police Commissioners for review pursuant to the Detroit Police Department policy."
The mayor’s office said there will be no further comments because of the pending cases.