Rep. John Conyers, Democrat of Michigan, has vowed to introduce legislation on “police accountability” after all charges were dropped against a Detroit police officer accused in the fatal shooting of a 7-year-old girl.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office moved Friday to dismiss the remaining misdemeanor charge against Officer Joseph Weekley in the death of Aiyana Stanley, who was killed during a botched police raid in 2010.
“However, our community must not lose sight of the greatest tragedy of all in this situation -- the loss of a 7-year-old innocent child, Aiyana Stanley-Jones,” the congressman said Saturday. “I extend my deepest condolences to the family of Aiyana Stanley-Jones during this very difficult time.”
Conyers said that the tragedy underscores the need for “community-focused, smart policing," starting with basic reforms like training and limiting the use of deadly force.
“The troubling circumstances of this case further exemplify the urgency of enacting legislative reforms to address the legal hurdles often faced in creating a system for better police accountability and illustrate the need for major reform in our criminal justice system,” he said.
“I plan to take two steps. First, I plan to review the matter very closely. Second, I plan to continue my work on police accountability and follow through by introducing legislation,” the congressman added.
Juries had failed to reach a verdict in the case twice.
The circumstances of the shooting were disputed at two trials. In 2013, Officer Weekley claimed that Aiyana’s grandmother had touched his gun, which she denied, causing the trial to end in a mistrial. At the second trial in October last year, the judge dismissed the involuntary manslaughter charge against the officer, citing lack of evidence.
Aiyana was killed on May 16, 2010, when members of the Detroit Police Department's Special Response Team launched a midnight raid on the house in search of a murder suspect. Weekley was the first officer barging through the door and allegedly had difficulty seeing when another officer threw a flash-bang grenade. Weekly fired his gun, killing Aiyana, who had been sleeping on the couch.
Recent police killing of African Americans, namely Akai Gurley, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner, has led to many protests against police brutality and racial profiling in the US.
HRJ/HRJ