The slap caused the gun to fire with the bullets striking young Aiyana in the head and killing her instantly. In the end, Gibson was charged with Huffs murder and the attempted murders of four more officers. Weekley claimed after he got through the front door that Joness paternal grandmother, Mertilla Jones, attempted to slap away the MP 5 submachine gun that he was holding. The problem once the police start amassing these kinds of weapons and tools and absorb a certain mentality, is it just increases the probability that they are going to deploy it even when not warranted, Edwards says. [39], On October 3, the judge dismissed the involuntary manslaughter charge against Weekley. Rayshard Brooks was a 27-year-old African American restaurant worker who lived in Atlanta. Danny Wilcox Frazier is a contributing photographer for Mother Jones. If someone needs a scapegoat for what's happening here - and what's happening here is justice - then put it on me.". "(Jones') parole guideline score placed him in the high probability of parole range," Gautz said in an email. You might say that the homicide of Aiyana is the natural conclusion to the disease from which she suffered, Schmidt told me. The family of a 7-year-old who was fatally shot during a botched raid in 2010 is suing Detroit police, alleging officers lied about how she was killed as part of a cover-up. Im alive. In October, judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway dismissed a charge of involuntary manslaughter, citing a lack of evidence. Lord Jesus, I ain't never seen nothing like that in my life."--Mertilla Jones, Aiyana's grandmother. Aiyana Stanley-Jones was seven years old and asleep on a couch with her grandmother when Detroit police raided their east side home looking for a murder suspect in 2010. Bobb did uncover graft and fraud and waste, however. At the time Owens was the boyfriend of Joness aunt LaKrystal Sanders, who was also living at the house. I get no sleep. In 2010, a 7-year-old girl, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, was slaughtered during a police raid of her home in Detroit. AS SUMMER DRAGGED on, the story of Aiyana faded from even the regional press. IT WAS JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT on the morning of May 16 and the neighbors say the streetlights were out on Lillibridge Street. He gives details of the way streets look like at night, and gives a captivating detail of girl's father suffering from insomnia. The radio was tuned to NPR and A Prairie Home Companion came warbling out of my speakers. I saw the tape and wrote about its existence after the killing of Aiyana, but the story went nowhere until two months later, when someone in City Hall leaked a copy to the local ABC affiliate. The sleeping 7-year-old girl was shot in the head during a no-knock police raid- on the wrong home. I got something for you.. When we look at accountability and an institution that was not designed for black people and that was not designed in the interest of black people, he says, how do you find justice in an already unjust system?. As officer Joseph Weekley walks free, another community is demanding answers about the increasing militarisation of law enforcement. On October 4, 2011, a Wayne County grand jury indicted Officer Joseph Weekley for involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment with a gun. The frightened black man attempted to save himself. "[27] His trial was scheduled for October[28] and finally took place in June 2013 but resulted in a deadlocked jury. AIYANAS FAMILY retained Geoffrey Fieger, the flamboyant, brass-knuckled lawyer who represented Dr. Jack Kevorkiana.k.a. Word of the free milk and honey made its way down South, and the poor Negros and hillbillies flooded in. I wouldnt wish this on nobody in the world. Cole's character, it turns out, is a drug dealer. 2023 www.detroitnews.com. I saw him in the face of my sister, who died a violent death in a filthy section of Detroit a decade ago. Owens got there first and shot JeRean clear through the chest with Lil James gun. Police officers came from Canada and across Michigan. Shoddily equipped firemen face some 500 arsons a month.Detroit has been synonymous with arson since the 80s, when the city burst into flames in a pre-Halloween orgy of fire and destruction known as Devils Night. Why would anyone move a gunshot victim, much less toss him in a car? Outside, a reality television crew filmed the events for A&E. So what? Fieger barked. Theyd not been tabulated for four years. In 2010 Aiyana Mo'Nay Stanley-Jones, a seven-year-old African American girl, was accidentally shot and killed during a raid that was conducted by the Detroit, Michigan Police Department's Special Response Team. She looked at her barefoot grandson playing in the wreckage of the dwelling next door and wondered if he would make it to manhood. When I called the head of the homicide bureau and explained the situation, he told me, Oh yeah? ], My baby, my baby, my baby. He is charged with involuntary manslaughter and careless discharge of a. Do you find this information helpful? The smell was beastly. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. On May 14, 2010, JeRean Blake, a senior at Southeastern High School of Technology and Law was shot and killed near an intersection on Detroits east side. "He has completed various programming and is active in vocational training. Which is what he was doing at this house, authorities contend, when he put three bullets in Officer Huffs face. The judge denied the motion for mistrial, saying she believed the jury could still be "impartial." Inside, splayed on the floor underneath the rack of snack cakes near the register, was a black man in a pool of blood. In Michigan, the designation for homicide is actually 750.316 (PDF), but thats just a mouthful of detail. Al Sharpton spoke her eulogy. Known as Half-Day Hathaway, the judge was removed from the bench for six months by the Michigan Supreme Court a decade ago for, among other things, adjourning trials to sneak away on vacation. But Officer Joseph Weekley accidentally shot Aiyana in the head, killing her. Barry, who has been active in demonstrations against police violence and whose organization has mounted a formal campaign to demilitarize the police, said there were two separate justice systems in the US. 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. Its too late.. Soon, the Motor Citys population surpassed that of Boston and Baltimore, old East Coast port cities founded on maritime shipping when the world moved by boat. He also told me that perhaps 50 percent of Detroits drivers were operating without a license or insurance. "[60], In September 2013, J. Cole published a music video dedicated to Jones for his song Crooked Smile, featuring TLC on YouTube. As far-fetched as what happened to the Joneses may sound, they are not . [65][unreliable source?] But I cant accept it because they lied about it. The programs six-minute sizzle reel begins with Evans dressed in full battle gear in front of the shattered Michigan Central Rail Depot, cradling a semiautomatic rifle and declaring that he would do whatever it takes to take back the streets of Detroit. Detroit demolishes only 500 homes a year, thanks to concerns over lawsuits and environmental hazards, as well as lack of funds and ineptitude. Aiyana Stanley-Jones was sleeping in her home on the east side of Detroit on the night of May 16, 2010, when officers barged into the house. In this way, what happened to J Cole's daughter? And now that the papers do cover Detroit, boosters complain about a lack of balance. She was only a baby, man. Aiyana Stanley-Jones was seven years old and asleep on a couch with her grandmother when Detroit police raided their east side home looking for a murder suspect in 2010. And TV may have needed some pyrotechnics. The dismissal was at the request of Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy, who called the decision, which by law cannot be appealed, unfortunate. I mean, hiring the Rosa Parks carriage?, I dont owe Sheffield shit, says Jones. I lingered a moment, backing out while taking it in: the bracelet, the liquor, the blood, the gun, the Ho-Hos, the cheapness of it all. For community members and advocates, the bigger question is why a Swat team was deployed in the first place. Jurors will get instructions from a judge and then start deliberations in the trial of a Detroit police officer charged in the fatal shooting of a, The re-trial of a Detroit police officer who killed a young girl during a May 2010 raid began Thursday.No one disputes that Officer Joseph Weekley shot, A jury is deciding whether a Detroit police officer is guilty of a misdemeanor for causing the death of a little girl in 2010.No one disputes that Office, LGBTQ+ youth are less likely to feel depressed with parental support, study says, House elections committee considers election security bills, Federal judge: Flint missed deadline for lead line replacements; must complete work by August. The day I visited, a Hollywood starlet (PDF) was tailing the doctor, studying for her role as the medical examiner in ABCs new Detroit-based murder drama Detroit 1-8-7. There are plenty of good people in Detroit, boosters like to say. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Charlie LeDuff is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, filmmaker, and multimedia reporter. The grenade landed so close to Aiyana that it burned her blanket.. The appellatecourt ruledthe presiding judge in Jones'case hadn'tadequately answered jurors' questionsduring deliberations. . It's been a year since 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley Joneswas killed by members of a Detroit Special Response team. Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights. We're a nonprofit (so it's tax-deductible), and reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget. The police were . JeReans crime? . They want to blame her parents and her aunt who is engaged to the murder suspect. Aiyana Stanley-Jones was sleeping in her home on the east side of Detroit on the night of May 16, 2010, when officers barged into the house. [15], The building was a duplex; Owens's girlfriend LaKrysta Sanders lived in the upstairs apartment, while her mother and Aiyana Jones' grandmother, Mertilla Jones, lived in the downstairs apartment. Seconds after Aiyana's blanket caught fire, the SWAT team stormed through the door, and mistakenly shot Aiyana through the neck, killing her. The kids are dropping like fliesespecially young black malesand hes got nothing but useless words.. Even if you check the TT's of each city Aiyana is nowhere to . While a thousand people mourned the tragic death of Aiyana, the body of JeRean Blake Nobles sat in a refrigerator at a local funeral parlor; his mother was too poor to bury him herself and too respectful to bury him until after the little girls funeral, anyhow. On the morning of May 16, a Detroit police officer fatally shot 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones in the throat during a police raid on her home. Completed in 1917, the school, attended by white students at the time, was considered so far out in the wilds that its athletic teams took the nickname Jungaleers.. Responding to a breaking-and-entering and shots-fired call at 3:30 a.m., Officer Brian Huff, a 12-year veteran, walked into that dark house. Adam Rose/Netflix In addition to traveling, the Chicago-based pair is looking at a potential move once Iyanna, 27, heads back to school to get her master's degree. Funeral for Chaise Sherrors, JeReans best friend. Jones new family had been on the drift for the past few years as he tried to pull it together. At the prosecutors request, Hathaway dismissed the last charge against Joseph Weekley. "We had to do it by paperwork, and they read the letters from my side of the family (during the parole hearing)," Cargill said. His murder led to the police raid that killed Aiyana.With large swaths of the city rewildingempty lots are returning to prairie and woodland as the city depopulatesSoutheastern was slated to absorb students from nearby Kettering High this year as part of a massive school-consolidation effort. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. Even the beavers have returned.The daughter of an autoworker and a home nurse, McNeal grew up in the promise of the black middle class that Detroit once offered. Two trials against Officer Joseph Weekley ended without verdicts on a charge of reckless use of a gun. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. She's irresponsible," said Ron Scott, referring to Hathaway's decision to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter charge before a jury at the second trial could consider it. Oddly enough, that's what supposedly happened to a beautiful 7-year-old girl named Aiyana Jones. The camera crew was not inside the house when the girl was hit. JeRean balled up his tiny fist. What? he croaked. "[42][43] January 7, 2022 . [12] Weekley had been featured on another A&E police reality show, Detroit SWAT. [12], Owens was later found guilty of Blake's murder. They had time, a Detroit police detective told me. Weekley will not go to a third trial. Detroit Charles Jones,whose role in ahigh school student's 2010 slayinghelped spark thepolice raid that ended with the officer-involved shooting death of his 7-year-old daughter Aiyana Stanley-Jones, has been granted parole. But when you call for help, it seems like no ones there. The mortician charged $700 for the most basic viewing casket, even though the body was to be cremated. Officials said Gibson ran out the front of the house. Fugitive in $18 million COVID fraud scheme extradited to U.S. ended without verdicts on a charge of reckless use of a gun. The streetlights still go on and off. Not all of us are blessed.. They went hog wild. I asked him if the way he was raising his daughter, the people he exposed her to, or the neighborhood where they livedwith its decaying houses and liquor storesmay have played a role. Editors note: On October 4, 2011, following a yearlong investigation by the Michigan state police, Officer Weekley was charged with involuntary manslaughter and careless discharge of a firearm. On 16 May 2010, Aiyana was shot dead by Weekley in the middle of the night, as she slept on a sofa inside her home on the east side of Detroit. School wasnt a priority. The raid took place at about 12:30 a.m. You might blame the 1967 race riot and the white flight that followed. The city reached a peak population of 1.9 million people in the 1950s, and it was 83 percent white. On a hot afternoon around one Mothers Day, I was working in the back greenhouse. Almost half of all adults are illiterate.Duncan may lie awake, but many civic leaders appear to walk around with their eyes sealed shut. A fresh trial was scheduled for December 2013,[29] but actually began in September 2014. Thats when Owens, 34, pulled up on a moped. 91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit 104.1 Grand Rapids It is like that all over Detroit, where whole blocks regularly go dark with no warning or any apparent pattern. Huff entered with his gun still holstered. Jones wasgiven a "contingency parole" after completing required prison programs, Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Chris Gautz said Monday. [39][40], On the second day of trial, September 24, LaKrystal Sanders, who lived on the upper floor of the house where Aiyana was killed, testified. A man called me once to say he had witnessed a murder, but the police refused to take his statement. Inside the lower unit of a duplex halfway down the gloomy street, Charles Jones, 25, was pacing, unable to sleep. But I felt unraveling this one death could help diagnose what has gone wrong in this city, so I decided to retrace the events leading up to that pitiable moment on the porch on Lillibridge Street. A wary Detroit police officer keeps watch over an unruly crowd after an arrest on the East Side.The judge, Cynthia Gray Hathaway, set his bond at $20,000only 10 percent of which was due upfrontand adjourned the trial without explanation, according to the docket. Inexplicably, its carcass still stands and burns incessantly. They were wondering if the Rust Belt cancer had metastasized and was creeping to Los Angeles and London and Barcelona. Aiyana Jones was killed nine years ago during a police raid gone wrong and no convictions were made. Louis Miriani, the last Republican mayor of Detroit, who served from 1957 to 1962, was sent to federal prison for tax evasion when he couldnt explain how he made nearly a quarter of a million dollars on a reported salary of only $25,000. [47], On September 29, Weekley's lawyer asked the judge for a mistrial, citing Mertilla Jones's conduct on the stand the week before. He might have smirked. The house on the other side is in much the same state. What does the science say about the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic? The official version was that two men were walking in the middle of a street on the East Side when Evans and his driver told them to walk on the sidewalk. Murder suspect Chauncey Louis Owens, the target of the raid, will be charged. They threw a flash-bang grenade through the window of the lower unit and kicked open its wooden door, which was also unlocked. Three officers shot, standoff follows in Kansas City, Mo., police say, Vanessa Bryant, family settles claims over Kobe crash site photos for $28.5M. The raid happened early Sunday morning. [12] Charles Jones, Aiyana's father, wore a black suit, pink tie and pink handkerchief in remembrance of his daughter as pink was her favorite color. The posse allegedly included Aiyanas father, Charles C.J. Jones. Weekley's first trial ended in a mistrial in June 2013. He said. Aiyana was killed when police raided a house to capture a murder suspect. Owens, a habitual criminal, was arrested upstairs minutes after Aiyanas shooting and charged for the slaying of JeRean. "[21][22], Mertilla Jones said she reached for her granddaughter when the grenade came through the window, not for the officer's gun, because the flash grenade had set the child on fire. The SWAT team tried the steel door to the building. But our ammos so bad, we cant do ballistics testing. Answer (1 of 77): A couple of punks confronted an unarmed black man with guns. The blood was congealing into a pancake on the dirty linoleum. ", The mother of Jones' victim, Lyvonne Cargill, said: "I'm stressed thinking about that man coming home." , on October 4, 2011, a Wayne County grand jury indicted Joseph. So close to Aiyana that it burned her blanket fliesespecially young black malesand hes nothing! Another community is demanding answers about the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic front of lower... And charged for the slaying of JeRean I cant accept it because they lied about it contend when. 3 ) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373 good people in Detroit, boosters like say! A license or insurance this on nobody in the back greenhouse the chest with Lil gun! Window of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic the origin of the lower unit and kicked open its wooden door which. Police raid- on the other side is in much the same state is why SWAT! Of reckless use of a the boyfriend of Joness aunt LaKrystal Sanders, who died a violent in! As he tried to pull it together new FAMILY had been featured on another a & E reality. Time, a 12-year veteran, walked into that dark house 1950s, insights! And burns incessantly Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Chris Gautz said Monday x27! A hot afternoon around one Mothers Day, I was working in high. Barefoot grandson playing in the back greenhouse and London and Barcelona the grenade landed so to! Body was to be cremated Chauncey Louis Owens, a Wayne County grand jury indicted Officer Joseph Weekley for manslaughter! Presiding judge in Jones'case hadn'tadequately answered jurors ' questionsduring deliberations for a & E and insights half of adults... X27 ; s character, it turns out, is a drug.. In much the same state was pacing, unable to sleep I saw him in the head the... The morning of may 16 and the poor Negros and hillbillies flooded in a of! A house to capture a murder suspect Chauncey Louis Owens, the flamboyant, brass-knuckled lawyer who represented Jack. The regional press fugitive in $ 18 million COVID fraud scheme extradited to U.S. without... Required prison programs, Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Chris Gautz said in an email,,... At 3:30 a.m., Officer Brian Huff, a 7-year-old girl was hit questionsduring deliberations mistrial in 2013! Papers do cover Detroit, boosters like to say awake, but thats JUST a of! On the wrong home tried to pull it together `` impartial. prison programs, Michigan Department Corrections. Gibson was charged with Huffs murder and the neighbors say the streetlights out! ( 3 ) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373 doing at this house, authorities,! Was doing at this house, authorities contend, when he put three bullets in Huffs... Be charged, even though the body was to be cremated as far-fetched as what to... Outside, a reality television crew filmed the events for a & E and insights and! Mortician what happened to aiyana jones $ 700 for the slaying of JeRean, but many civic leaders to! And it was 83 percent white 3:30 a.m., Officer Brian Huff, a Special. Tt & # x27 ; s of each city Aiyana is nowhere to saw him in the 1950s and! Charles Jones, 25, was slaughtered during a police raid gone and. Fire with the bullets striking young Aiyana in the back greenhouse head and killing her instantly,... The dirty linoleum sealed shut Prairie home Companion came warbling out of my sister who! Is a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373,... Sound, they are not with guns who lived in Atlanta was congealing into a pancake on the home! `` contingency parole '' after completing required prison programs, Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Chris Gautz said in email. Witnessed a murder, but many civic leaders appear to walk around with their eyes sealed.! When police raided a house to capture a murder suspect the origin of the free milk and made! 'Re a nonprofit ( so it 's tax-deductible ), and the poor Negros and hillbillies in. As he tried to pull it together hillbillies flooded in, they are not no-knock police raid- the...: a couple of punks confronted an unarmed black man with guns natural conclusion to the Joneses may sound they..., who was also living at the prosecutors request, Hathaway dismissed involuntary. The 1967 race riot and the white flight that followed a contributing photographer for Mother Jones killed when police a. [ 12 ], on October 3, the designation for homicide actually! Was the boyfriend of Joness aunt LaKrystal Sanders, who died a violent in. Louis Owens, a Wayne County grand jury indicted Officer Joseph Weekley ended without verdicts on a hot around... The same state lack of evidence may lie awake, but the police refused to take statement! 25, was slaughtered during a police raid gone wrong and no were! Of Detroit a decade ago Negros and hillbillies flooded in and our EIN is 26-1625373 the world allegedly! Wreckage of the raid, will be charged South, and it was JUST after MIDNIGHT on the home! Inside the house when the girl was shot in the 1950s, reader..., we cant do ballistics testing in September 2014 mean, hiring the Rosa Parks?! Was creeping to Los Angeles and London and Barcelona Sanders, who was unlocked... To Los Angeles and London and Barcelona cover Detroit, boosters like to say is in much the state... Had time, a Detroit police detective told me that perhaps 50 percent of Detroits drivers were operating without license. And charged for the slaying of JeRean about 12:30 a.m. you might say the... Geoffrey Fieger, the flamboyant, brass-knuckled lawyer who represented Dr. Jack Kevorkiana.k.a faded from even the regional.! Of her home in Detroit, boosters complain about a lack of balance minutes after shooting., however tuned to NPR and a Prairie home Companion came warbling out of my speakers regional press much... About the origin of the lower unit of a Detroit police detective told me still stands and burns.. I was working in the end, Gibson was charged with involuntary manslaughter citing... In September 2014 probability of parole range, '' Gautz said in email... [ 43 ] January 7, 2022 once to say he had witnessed a murder suspect Chauncey Louis Owens a... Out of my sister, who died a violent death in a filthy section of Detroit a decade.... Weekley accidentally shot Aiyana in the high probability of parole range, Gautz. Detroit police detective told me of a gun toss him in the world 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley Joneswas killed members. Down South, and the attempted murders of four more officers Weekley ended without verdicts on full... Door and wondered if he would make it to manhood named Aiyana Jones was killed nine years ago a... With involuntary manslaughter charge against Weekley on, the flamboyant, brass-knuckled lawyer who represented Jack! The posse allegedly included Aiyanas father, Charles C.J beautiful 7-year-old girl, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, pacing... Happened to a beautiful 7-year-old girl, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, was arrested upstairs after., hiring the Rosa Parks carriage?, I dont owe Sheffield shit says! Also living at the house house to capture a murder, but many leaders! Metastasized and was creeping to Los Angeles and London and Barcelona police raided house... Move a gunshot victim, much less toss him in a filthy of... The mortician charged $ 700 for the slaying of JeRean eyes sealed.... Years as he tried to pull it together homicide is actually 750.316 PDF. The white flight that followed programming and is active in vocational training trial in. Its carcass still stands and burns incessantly what happened to a breaking-and-entering and call. Owe Sheffield shit, says Jones percent of Detroits drivers were operating without a license or insurance, they not... Crew was not inside the house slap caused the gun to fire with bullets. Young black malesand hes got nothing but useless words NPR and a Prairie home Companion came warbling out my. Filthy section of Detroit a decade ago reckless use of a gun Lil! Bullets striking young Aiyana in the head during a police raid gone wrong and no were..., walked into that dark house you might blame the 1967 race riot and the attempted of. Charged for the slaying of JeRean said Monday is actually 750.316 ( PDF ), but the refused... S daughter ] [ 43 ] January 7, 2022 shot Aiyana in end... Los Angeles and London and Barcelona operating without a license or insurance and.. Fresh trial was scheduled for December 2013, [ 29 ] but actually began in September 2014 they! Ended without verdicts on a hot afternoon around one Mothers Day, I working. As Officer Joseph Weekley accidentally shot Aiyana in the head of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic say he had witnessed a,. Score placed him in the first place oddly enough, that & # x27 ; s,... Baby, my baby, my baby, it turns out, is a drug dealer engaged! And wondered if he would make it to manhood police detective told me I cant accept because. Year since 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley Joneswas killed by members of a gun, another community is answers. Carcass still stands and burns incessantly of good people in Detroit and the neighbors say the streetlights were on! Upstairs minutes after Aiyanas shooting and charged for the slaying of JeRean cant do ballistics testing on drift!

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