and Owens was suspected of having killed a teenager a few days earlier, a charge for which he would eventually be convicted. He said the settlement "won't provide full justice. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. It really came down to defining negligence, the foreman said. Check out footage (below) of the judge's ruling Friday: CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated that attorney Steve Fishman said the defense would need to demonstrate Officer Joseph Weekley acted in a "grossly negligent manner" in the circumstances leading to Stanley-Jones' death. Last week, she was escorted from the courtroom after an emotional outburst directed at Weekley during her testimony. Weekley was first tried in Stanley-Jones' death last year; a hung jury caused a mistrial. The Huffington Post has compiled an extensive background on what we know happened before, and since, Aiyana Stanley-Jones lost her life. 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. # 22-13, Pg. The prosecution and defense have offered contradictory depictions of the events leading up to Stanley-Jones' death. Weekley had been facing a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for the manslaughter charge. 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Associated Press Prosecutors say that Owens then left the store. The Wayne County prosecutor's office said in a statement that on Friday Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway dismissed the involuntary manslaughter charge, granting a motion submitted by Weekley's attorney, Steve Fishman. Weekley says he accidentally fired his gun during a struggle with Aiyana's grandmother. 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. 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. She pleaded no contest to the obstruction of justice charge, and the perjury charge was dropped. Game credits for World of WarCraft: Battle for Azeroth (Windows) 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. A judge has declared a mistrial after jurors failed to reach a verdict for a police officer who shot dead a young girl during a chaotic search for a murder suspect that was recorded by a reality TV crew. Weekley is being retried after a jury failed to reach a verdict last year in . How A Police Officer Shot A Sleeping 7-Year-Old To Death, the militarization of U.S. law enforcement, charged with felony involuntary manslaughter, could have affected how the police executed their search warrant, prosecutors allege that Owens told Je'Rean, gave Owens the gun he used to kill Je'Rean, serving a prison sentence of 40 to 60 years, disputed the Westbrooks' version of events, cleared of wrongdoing in a non-fatal shooting in 2009. Weekley, a member of an elite police unit, was the first officer through the door during a chaotic search for a murder suspect at her home. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Detroit Police Media Relations Director June West said Weekley returned to active duty on a "restricted" basis "a couple weeks ago.". "I knew it was my gun that went off because I was right there," Weekley said. 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. 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. All he had to do is follow his training and we wouldn't be here.'. She was in her pajamas. After prosecutors objected, the judge suspended her decision and ordered a recess until late morning. He was swinging his weapon to point toward the couch, Weekley testified, when Aiyana's grandmother, Mertilla Jones -- who had been sleeping on the couch with the girl -- smacked his weapon, an MP5 submachine gun, with her hand, causing him to pull the trigger. Godbee said Weekley is involved in several charitable events for the DPD, including one that raises money for children of domestic violence victims. He told The Huffington Post that he questioned the motives of officials who "zealously" went after the father of a girl shot by a cop, describing the prosecution's case as extremely thin. Daily Mail Reporter, 2010 raid was being filmed for reality TV show 'The First 48 Hours', Body found shot dead near home of New England Patriots tight end identified as another football player in semi-professional league, Parents beware: Children could be playing a Simpsons game that has 'hidden anti-gun messages' and 'mocks NRA', Would you want to live next door to this man? 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. Weekley was first tried in connection with Aiyana's death in 2013, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict. (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". Officers had been. The jurors, asked that their names not be made public as they explained what happened over four days of deliberations. The afternoon of May 14, Je'Rean had just bought an orange juice at a liquor store when he had a confrontation with a man named Chauncey Owens, 38. 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. However, in Jeremy's case, they seem to be making ground for now. He was arrested in a separate upstairs unit of the multi-family house. the group of 12 was almost split down the middle over whether to acquit or convict Weekley on a misdemeanor charge of careless, reckless or negligent use of a firearm causing death. It was Owens they were after. A member of an elite Detroit police team failed to follow his training when he stormed a house looking for a murder suspect with his finger on the trigger and shot a 7-year-old girl who was asleep on the couch, a prosecutor said Thursday at the start of an involuntary manslaughter trial. Brown's death, and the extreme tactics of police amid ensuing local protests, have sparked national conversations about police brutality and institutional racism in police forces across the country. Copyright 2023 Belinda Robinson for MailOnline Weekley has said that the girl's grandmother, Mertilla Jones, who had also been asleep on the couch when police arrived, came up to him and grabbed his gun, causing him to shoot. When Weekley returned to the family room, he watched Jones straddling her dying granddaughter, speechless and seemingly "in shock." Officer Joseph Weekley, a member of the Detroit Police Special Response Team, was indicted on an involuntary manslaughter charge after a nearly yearlong Michigan State Police investigation into . The jury sent a note to Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway saying little progress had been made during the three days of deliberations over the fate of Officer Joseph Weekley, who faced charges of felony . 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. But race, the jurors said, never played a role in deliberations, despite the fact that Weekley is white, and Aiyana was black. During Weekleys first trial, a fellow officer, Shawn Stallard, testified that he did not see anyone struggle with Weekley. Ellis was unarmed. There were no threats. They were accompanied by a camera crew from a TV reality show called 'The First 48, but the midnight raid was recorded from the outside, not the inside where Aiyana was shot. 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. The settlement still needs approval from the Detroit City Council. In 2007, police raided the home of Martin Westbrook, who at that time was allegedly already in custody for an armed robbery. Weekley says the MP5 only weighs six pounds and has almost no recoil, which is why he didn't initially know it had fired. This website expresses our OPINIONS. Police, being filmed by A&E's "The First 48," were looking for Chauncey Owens, who has since been convicted of killing 17-year-old Je'Rean Blake outside a nearby party store. Officer Joseph Weekley was charged in connection with Jones' death. Weekely could still face a third re-trial. Though many details about the events surrounding Aiyana's death were revealed in the 2013 trial, a number of questions remain unanswered. This button displays the currently selected search type. 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. The pair later exchanged the marriage vows and tied the knot on June 22, 2019, in Denver, Florida. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office announced. Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway declared a mistrial in the case for the second time after the first trial ended in a hung jury in June 2013. 'This is a bittersweet outcome: Bitter because Weekley was not convicted, and sweet in that justice for Aiyana Jones will come soon,' said Roland Lawrence. Meanwhile, Weekley released a statement shortly before the mistrial was declared. 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. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. theguardian.com. 17:14 GMT 11 Oct 2014 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. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current . The company's filing status is listed as Suspended - Ftb and its File Number is 2555616. At the time, Weekley said, he didn't even realize he had fired his gun, thinking the shot had been fired by someone else. 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. He has been a member of the SWAT team for six years, and on the Detroit police force for 14 years. 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. 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. Je'Rean called his mom to come pick him up, but before she arrived, Owens returned and shot the teen. A 17-question survey given to prospective jurors on Monday included four questions related to the Ferguson shooting, according to The Detroit News. and 'They knew there were children in there. 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. Last year the city settled with Aiyana's family for $8.25 million. Detroit Corporation Counsel Lawrence Garcia announced the settlement with the family of Aiyana Stanley-Jones four days before a civil trial was to begin. Photo by Thomas Alex Graves. The girl's father, Charles Jones, was convicted of second-degree murder for providing the gun used to kill Blake. All too often we see police officers murder the innocent only to be exonerated by a grand jury or acquitted during a trial. Watch: Who Is The Officer Involved In Girl's Shooting? The girl's father, Charles Jones, was convicted of second-degree murder for providing the gun used to kill Blake. Weekley says he accidentally fired his gun during a struggle with Aiyana's grandmother. I know in my heart and before God that what transpired that day was out of my control, but I will still have terrible grief weigh upon me every day for the rest of my life, his statement said. Was she not. During the trial, Steve Fishman, Weekley's attorney, told jurors that the officer mistakenly pulled the trigger during a struggle with Mertilla Jones, the girl's grandmother. 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. Information includes the borrower, lender, address or legal description of the property . Belinda Robinson for MailOnline. Mertilla Jones testified that Owens lived in the upper unit with her daughter, LaKrystal Sanders. In at least one of those other raids, Weekley and his team were accused of using unnecessary force. Available for both RF and RM licensing. After two. The base salary for News Anchor ranges from $51,971 to $85,465 with the average base salary of $64,795. Enter https://www.police1.com/ and click OK. Weekley was indicted in 2011 and charged with felony involuntary manslaughter, as well as the careless discharge of a firearm causing death. But the shot killed Aiyana. Prosecutor Rob Moran argued: 'His training says, keep your finger off the trigger. Besides the glaring presence of toys strewn about the lawn and front porch, it is unlikely that investigators could have missed the presence of four young children and multi-generational family in the opposite unit during their surveillance of the duplex. Detroit Police Chief James Craig told George Hunter of the Detroit News last week that Weekley was restored to active duty April 2. Officer Joseph Weekley was first through the door and after a flash-bang grenade went off, he fired his gun, killing Aiyana. The only reason Few ran from Greenhouse that night was to catch up with Dixon so he could give her Jeremy in case he was arrested. 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. 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