Search query Belinda Robinson for MailOnline Associated Press, FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2014, file photo, Dominika Stanley wipes away tears after Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway declares a mistrial after a jury said they cannot reach a verdict in a criminal trial against Detroit Police Officer Joseph Weekley, accused of shooting her daughter Aiyana Stanley-Jones, at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, in Detroit. He also could have been cleared of all charges. 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. Detroit Police Media Relations Director June West said Weekley returned to active duty on a "restricted" basis "a couple weeks ago.". All rights reserved. Photo by Thomas Alex Graves. Lexipol. However, the Clerk of Court, the District Attorneys Office, Marksville Police Department, and City Court noted that they did not have any warrants against him. The target, Chauncey Owens, was eventually arrested and convicted of killing a 17-year-old boy. Not only wasthe justice system unable to hold Weekley accountable for the slaughter of a young girl but he wasreinstated to the force in 2015. 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. They found Owens upstairs and arrested him. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. 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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. 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. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. DPD Spokesman John Roach said the Detroit Police Department SWAT team member is 34-year-old officer Joseph Weekley. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. At the beginning of the case, jurors were asked to decide the officer's fate. The girl's father, Charles Jones, was convicted of second-degree murder for providing the gun used to kill Blake. It was a little after midnight when the Detroit Police Special Response Team, a unit similar to a SWAT team, descended on the Stanely-Jones residence in search of murder suspect Chauncey Owens, who lived upstairs. But the shot killed Aiyana. Weekley told jurors that he accidentally pulled the trigger during a struggle with the girl's grandmother, but Mertilla Jones denied interfering with the gun. 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. It is not clear what his role in the nonfatal shooting was, but Godbee said he was cleared and it was determined that he acted appropriately. Weekley says he accidentally fired his gun during a struggle with Aiyana's grandmother. The other cop who shot and killed Jeremy that night has yet to go to trial. Feast day: Mar 19 (Dkt. 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. 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. A member of an elite Detroit police unit is set to stand trial again for killing a seven-year-old girl during a 2010 raid on her house that was captured on video by a reality TV crew. 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. 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 scuffle with her grandmother. neither Jones' fingerprints nor DNA were found on the officer's gun. Westbrook and his wife sued Weekley and other members of the SRT for assault, false imprisonment and gross negligence, alleging that officers came into the home without warning, shot and killed the family's two dogs for no reason and pointed guns at a child and infant, according to the complaint. 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. After he was shot, Few lost consciousness and didn't know his son died until he woke up in a hospital six days later the day of Jeremy's funeral. All rights reserved. They kept firing.". According to the Greenhouse and Stafford, the officers decided to conduct a traffic stop because Few had an outstanding warrant. Available for both RF and RM licensing. She was in her pajamas. If convicted, he faces a maximum 15-year sentence for the manslaughter charge. 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. The Special Response Team arrived in its armored vehicle with a warrant to arrest Chauncey Owens, who was known to stay with his fiance at 4056 Lillibridge Street. Detroit police officer Joseph Weekley was spared a felony conviction on Tuesday over the killing of a 7-year-old girl after a jury deadlocked and a mistrial was declared,according to Detroit Free Press. This may be called Tools or use an icon like the cog. Aiyana Stanley-Jones was 7 years old when Detroit Police Officer Joseph Weekley "accidentally" shot her as she lay sleeping in her grandmother's home. The bullet struck and killed Aiyana. Aiyana's parents, Charles Jones and Dominika Stanley, sued Detroit police officer Joseph Weekley on behalf of their daughter's estate. Weekley was indicted in 2011 and charged with felony involuntary manslaughter, as well as the careless discharge of a firearm causing death. The only full justice would be to bring Aiyana back and I can't do that.". That the ten-year-anniversary of Aiyana's death passed largely unacknowledged, . This website does not provide legal advice. 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. 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. Two days later, the decedent's father filed law suits in both the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the Wayne County . According to the Detroit Free Press, Weekley said during his 2013 trial that he'd executed 300 search warrants during his time on the Special Response Team, and had been the first man through the door in about 100 of those. Hathaway then granted the prosecution's request for a stay on her decision and adjourned court until Monday. Judge Hathaway told the jurors: 'These things happen., But the little girl's distraught uncle Londell Fields said: 'I don't understand how we can go through this again and have all this evidence brought forth and there not be a verdict either way. 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. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Dominika Stanley, left, the mother of Aiyana Jones, seven, sits next to Aiyanas father Charles Jones in Southfield, Michigan in 2010. Time spent in the car between cases or office meetings. Atkins, Virginia Tack welded trailer frames, wired up refrigeration units and ran all the electrical components for each trailer. The raid occurred after midnight, and Weekley was first through the door of the Stanley-Jones home on the east side of Detroit, as a film crew shadowing the officers filmed for a reality television show. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. A 17-question survey given to prospective jurors on Monday included four questions related to the Ferguson shooting, according to The Detroit News. They're looking to protect," said Detroit Mayor Dave Bing Wednesday. When Detroiters rallied last year for Trayvon Martin, the unarmed Florida teen killed by a neighborhood watchman in 2012, Mertilla Jones addressed the crowd. All rights reserved (About Us). A fellow officer is said to have thrown a flash-bang grenade, and Weekley fired his gun shortly after, killing the 7-year-old girl, who was sleeping on the couch. Critics of police militarization have pointed to Aiyana's death when looking at ramifications of the increased use of SWAT teams among local law enforcement. Officer Joseph Weekley still faces a charge of reckless discharge of a firearm in the death of Aiyana Stanley-Jones. After prosecutors objected, the judge suspended her decision and ordered a recess until late morning. 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. 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. Weekley's colleagues gave him the nickname "The Brain," according to The Detroit News, because he was always thinking. College No schools to show High school Went to Eastern Montgomery Photos See all photos Others Named Joseph Weekley Joey Weekley Joe Weekley Wake up to the day's most important news. Weekley is also currently named along with other SWAT members in a federal lawsuit, filed in 2009, claiming they pointed guns at children and shot two dogs during a raid in 2007 that netted a man who is now serving seven to 15 years in prison for armed robbery. Associated Press He has been a member of the SWAT team for six years, and on the Detroit police force for 14 years. He said Tuesday plans to protest the return of Weekley are in the works but not finalized. 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. 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). The girl was shot in the head while she slept on a couch. This was an emotional case, the jury foreman told the media afterward. A flash-bang grenade shattered the front bay window and exploded seconds before the Weekley-led Special Response Team barged though the front door. This is Weekley's . 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. But Aiyana's great-uncle Fields added that he thought Weekley should apologize and say he made a mistake. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Aiyana MoNay Stanley-Jones July 20 2002 May 16 2010 was a seven-year-old African-American girl from Detroits East Side who was shot in the neck and The trial featured a multicultural jury made up of eight women and four men, four of whom were African Americans. A surveillance unit had been monitoring the duplex in which he lived throughout the day and a no-knock raid was scheduled for just after midnight. The base salary for News Anchor ranges from $51,971 to $85,465 with the average base salary of $64,795. Aiyana Mo'Nay Stanley-Jones (May 16, 2010): Jones, a seven-year-old Black girl, was shot in the head by Detroit officer Joseph Weekley during a raid on the apartment above hers. The comments of visitors or guest authors to the website are their opinions and do not therefore reflect our opinions. City attorney Lawrence Garcia announced the settlement with the family of Aiyana Stanley-Jones on Thursday, April 4, 2019 four days before a civil trial was to begin. 18:48 GMT 19 Jun 2013 (Kathleen Galligan/Detroit Free Press via AP, File), Paddock Publications, Inc. is an Employee-Owned Company. She denies that she interfered in any way. The only full justice would be to bring Aiyana back and I can't do that.". A former high school classmate of Dixon, Greenhouse had started messaging her on Facebook and had come by the house Few and Dixon were sharing at the time. Jones maintains his innocence. Anthony Potts recalled the night 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones was killed during a police raid. "He's heartsick, because he lost his daughter and he got charged with something he didn't do," Weiss said of Jones. Dominika Stanley, left, the mother of 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones, sits next to Aiyana's father Charles Jones in attorney Geoffrey Fieger's office in Southfield, Michigan, Tuesday, May 18, 2010. In November 2015,Few's fiance came forward about her relationship to Greenhouse. By "I pulled the trigger of that gun, unintentionally, and I didn't even know it at the time," Weekley said in cout. He says he accidentally fired his gun during a. Mertilla Jones testified that Owens lived in the upper unit with her daughter, LaKrystal Sanders. Dixon's testimony did confirm that Few was, in fact, attempting to wave her down and pointing at Jeremy. Jose Guerena, 26, was a Marine Corps veteran who'd served two tours of duty in Iraq. Officer Placed At Desk Job DETROIT - The SWAT team member whose gun, authorities say, killed 7-year-old Aiyana Jones Sunday during a raid at her home has been. Detroit Corporation Counsel Lawrence Garcia announced the settlement with the family of Aiyana Stanley-Jones four days before a civil trial was to begin. An anonymous Detroit official told Mother Jones in 2010 that using the grenade was "not protocol.". Here's the video A&E's cameras captured at the Stanley-Jones residence: The episode that would have featured footage from that night ultimately never aired. Weekley was first tried in connection with Aiyana's death in 2013, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Before Weekley's trial, potential jurors were asked questions related to the Ferguson shooting and if they had seen reports that might influence their decision in the case. 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. We do not practice law. 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