Part of HuffPost Black Voices. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. 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. Associated Press 18:48 GMT 19 Jun 2013 We do not give legal advice. 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. 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. prosecution will file an emergency appeal, shot Stanley-Jones in 2010 during a botched police raid in search of a murder suspect. Weekley drives the SWAT team's armored personnel carrier. During a late night police raid to apprehend a murder suspect, Defendant Officer Joseph Weekley somehow discharged his firearm, fatally wounding seven-year-old Aiyana Jones. A Special Response Team shattered a familys window in the middle of the night, hurled a flashbang onto a couch next to a sleeping girl, then charged in and shot her in the head. The hunt for a murder suspect was being recorded by a crew from 'The First 48,' a police show on A&E Networks. By Officer Joseph Weekley says the victim's grandmother grabbed his weapon during a midnight raid. Recent protests and conversations among activists have linked Aiyana's death to the death of Michael Brown, the unarmed black teen who was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, last month. Detroit police officer who killed sleeping seven-year-old no longer facing charges. 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. Jurors later told the judge they couldnt reach a verdict. During Weekleys first trial, a fellow officer, Shawn Stallard, testified that he did not see anyone struggle with Weekley. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. The trial featured a multicultural jury made up of eight women and four men, four of whom were African Americans. All rights reserved. The jurors were unable to reach a verdict in the case againstOfficer Joseph Weekley who was accused of shooting Aiyana Stanley-Jones during a raid on a house for a murder suspect in Detroit. On the third day of deliberations, loud voices could be heard coming from the jury room. Watch: Who Is The Officer Involved In Girl's Shooting? Associated Press. In at least one of those other raids, Weekley and his team were accused of using unnecessary force. The other cop who shot and killed Jeremy that night has yet to go to trial. 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. Weekley says he accidentally fired his gun during a struggle with Aiyana's grandmother. So why would they come in there like that? Another question asked whether jurors had seen reports of "the so-called military equipment by police departments here and elsewhere that might influence your decision in this case," drawing a parallel between the law enforcement methods used in Detroit and those employed by Ferguson police officers during the protests that followed Brown's death. The Detroit police officer who killed seven-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones will not be retried. Jury selection starts on Monday in Wayne County court, 15 months after Weekleys first trial ended with jurors unable to agree on a verdict. An anonymous Detroit official told Mother Jones in 2010 that using the grenade was "not protocol.". That's wrong to me.'. Time spent in the car between cases or office meetings. The jury foreman, a pastor said:This has not been an easy case.. 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.". Case in point: Officer Joseph Weekley. 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. But race, the jurors said, never played a role in deliberations, despite the fact that Weekley is white, and Aiyana was black. 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. Wayne County Judge Cynthia Hathaway said Weekley's trial will start Monday, Sept. 15, 2014 as planned. The city of Detroit has reached an $8.25 million settlement with the family of . Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement that her office was moving to dismiss the case against Officer Joseph Weekley. 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. Godbee said Weekley is involved in several charitable events for the DPD, including one that raises money for children of domestic violence victims. The comments of visitors or guest authors to the website are their opinions and do not therefore reflect our opinions. After the mistrial, Dominika Stanley, Aiyana's mother stayed in the courtroom, wiping away tears as she shook her head and held onto a tissue. She pleaded no contest to the obstruction of justice charge, and the perjury charge was dropped. 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. Charges Dismissed Against Joseph Weekley, Cop Who Fatally Shot Sleeping 7-Year-Old. He was accused of being 'grossly negligent' in how he handled his submachine gun as his black-clad, masked and armed unit stormed the Detroit home to capture a suspect in May 2010. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Sadly, for Jeremy Mardis, who will never see another Christmas or Birthday or throw the ball with his dad, the reason for the stop that night is irrelevant. 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. 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. Then, officers stormed the house and once inside, a round from Weekley's sub-machine gun struck Aiyana in the head while she slept on a couch. Weekley has been listed in various paid, off-duty statuses since the shooting early May 16, 2010. 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. His attorney, Leon Weiss, calls the verdict "contradictory and compromised," pointing out that it found Jones not guilty of having a gun and yet suggested that he was guilty of second-degree murder for giving Owens a gun. Sgt. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. Weekley was indicted in 2011 and charged with felony involuntary manslaughter, as well as the careless discharge of a firearm causing death. The officers also claimed Few had a weapon, that was also a lie. All rights reserved. Jones was convicted of second-degree murder in Je'Rean's death, though he was found not guilty of first-degree murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm or using a firearm during a felony. Police said Weekley came into contact with Aiyana's grandmother, Mertilla Jones, when they busted through the door in the early hours of Sunday morning and his weapon accidentally fired. Judge Dismisses Manslaughter Charge For Cop Who Shot 7-Year-Old To Death. The family's attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, said the settlement should allow the family, the city and Weekley to move on from the tragedy. 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? Innocent people stop their vehicles, surrender to the police," defense attorney Jonathan Goins said as hecalled Few "the author of that child's fate," during the trial. In November 2015,Few's fiance came forward about her relationship to Greenhouse. Belinda Robinson for MailOnline The kids are having a great time and we're just really happy for the children," Weekley said on the videotape. When Detroiters rallied last year for Trayvon Martin, the unarmed Florida teen killed by a neighborhood watchman in 2012, Mertilla Jones addressed the crowd. 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. Local 4 News every morning. The prosecution and defense have offered contradictory depictions of the events leading up to Stanley-Jones' death. They found Owens upstairs and arrested him. A protester holds a sign referencing Aiyana Stanley-Jones at a rally for Trayvon Martin in Detroit on July 14, 2013. Report your Judge, Lawyer or Government Office, Report your Judge, Attorney & Public Official Today. Weekley was first through the door, with a shield in one hand and a gun in the other. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office alleged that Weekley's negligence led to Aiyana's death. Weekley testified the grandmother struck his weapon and caused him. The film. 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. He says he accidentally fired his gun during a struggle with Aiyana's grandmother. Joseph Weekley shot Aiyana Stanley-Jones in 2010 Officer charged with involuntary manslaughter. Greenhouse, whose defense team has been pulling insane tactics out of the woodwork up to and including demanding to know if any prosecution witnesses underwent hypnosis or any "truth-determining examinations," such as polygraph tests or sodium pentothal. 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. Officer on trial: Joseph Weekley testifies in his own defense Coward Cop breaks into the wrong home, blames grandmother for having his finger on the trigger and shooting their 7 year old child in the head The family's attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, said the settlement should allow the family, the city and Weekley to . A stun grenade was thrown through a window to confuse anyone inside. There were no threats. Police found Owens in the upstairs flat and he was arrested. 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 . Yetthe 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. 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