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. 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. DPD Spokesman John Roach said the Detroit Police Department SWAT team member is 34-year-old officer Joseph Weekley. Jurors later told the judge they couldnt reach a verdict. It was the first time any family member had stood in front of Weekley and directly accused him. But the shot killed Aiyana. Armed with an MP5 submachine gun and behind a shield, Weekley had been tasked with being first into the home in search of murder suspect, Chauncey Owens. 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. 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. Jury selection starts on Monday in Wayne County court, 15 months after Weekleys first trial ended with jurors unable to agree on a verdict. Weekley was a member of Detroits Special Response Team, which was sent to an east side neighbourhood to capture a suspect in the killing of a teenager outside a convenience store. It's the most comprehensive and trusted online destination for law enforcement agencies and police departments worldwide. 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. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). As the Free Thought Project has previously reported, this entire scenario could've been over a relationship. 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. Last year the city settled with Aiyana's family for $8.25 million. The only full justice would be to bring Aiyana back and I can't do that.". I don't understand how we could go through this again and have all this evidence brought forth and there not be a verdict, either way.. 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. 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. 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. 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. Defendant Joseph Weekely, right, and A&E producer Allison Howard, who was at the raid, sit in. He said the settlement "won't provide full justice. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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. Last week, she was escorted from the courtroom after an emotional outburst directed at Weekley during her testimony. 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. He says he accidentally fired his gun during a struggle with Aiyana's grandmother. 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. The Michigan Supreme Court last September cleared the way for a trial or settlement when it declined to hear an appeal after two courts ruled a jury could decide whether Weekley's actions amounted to gross negligence. When Weekley stepped inside, he fired a single shot that went through Stanley-Jones' head. He says he accidentally fired his gun during a. 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. DPD Spokesman John Roach said the Detroit Police Department SWAT team member is 34-year-old officer Joseph Weekley. 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. Chauncey Owens, whom police were searching for in the raid, was eventually arrested in a second-floor unit of the duplex where the girl and her family lived. 'There has not been one single day that has gone by since that day where I have not thought about the loss of Aiyana and I will be haunted by this tragedy for the rest of my life.'. Assistant Police Chief Ralph Godbee said Weekley was investigated after he was involved in a barricaded gunman shooting last summer. 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. After two mistrials, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office dismissed the remaining misdemeanor charge of careless discharge of a weapon causing death. 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 . But race, the jurors said, never played a role in deliberations, despite the fact that Weekley is white, and Aiyana was black. (Dkt. Weekley was first tried in Stanley-Jones' death last year; a hung jury caused a mistrial. Mark Diaz, union president of the Detroit Police Officers Association, said he was disappointed by the decision. 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. Edward Carmack Email, Phone Number, Company, Colleagues, Competitors, Peers, Interests, Skills, Seniority Nathan Weekley is the brother of Joseph Weekley, a former SWAT officer for the Detroit police force, who was reassigned after fatally shooting 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones during a May. 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. 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. He said the settlement "won't provide full justice. When asked by prosecutors if knowing children were in the house would have forced police to change raid tactics, Davis responded: 'Probably not.'. Since the shooting, Weekley has been placed on a desk job. 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. After prosecutors objected, the judge suspended her decision and ordered a recess until late morning. The night of the raid, a camera crew from A&E's "The First 48," a reality show that follows police officers during the first two days of murder investigations, was shadowing Detroit's Special Response Team. However, for his family, the outcome of Greenhouse's future trial and the fact that Stafford just got 40 years, are the only things that can provide even a semblance of comfort. Jones told a different story at Weekley's trial last year. Associated Press Was she not. The settlement still needs approval from the Detroit City Council. He insists he accidentally fired his gun during a. If convicted, Weekley could face up to 15 years behind bars. (John T. Greilick/Detroit News via AP, File) 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. (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". Officer Joseph Weekley still faces a charge of reckless discharge of a firearm in the death of Aiyana Stanley-Jones. By Game credits for World of WarCraft: Battle for Azeroth (Windows) College No schools to show High school Went to Eastern Montgomery Photos See all photos Others Named Joseph Weekley Joey Weekley Joe Weekley This Monday, jury selection began for Weekley's retrial. 'They knew there were children in there. Roland Lawrence of the Justice for Aiyana Jones Committee explained only one juror was African American and that he had 'no confidence in this jury' once he realized the racial disparity. Detroit police officer who killed sleeping seven-year-old no longer facing charges. This button displays the currently selected search type. Meanwhile, Weekley released a statement shortly before the mistrial was declared. When Detroiters rallied last year for Trayvon Martin, the unarmed Florida teen killed by a neighborhood watchman in 2012, Mertilla Jones addressed the crowd. 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. Moments earlier, Aiyana was sleeping beneath a "Hanna Montana" blanket on the couch next to her grandmother. The Detroit police officer who fatally shot a sleeping 7-year-old girl will not be retried, officials said Wednesday. Officer Joseph Weekley's first trial ended in a hung jury, and a judge eventually dismissed the charges against him after a second trial in 2014. Information includes the borrower, lender, address or legal description of the property . Belinda Robinson for MailOnline When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. 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. Sgt. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 In February, Owens was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Download the Yahoo News app. To read the full Conyers story, click here. "Aiyana's death was a tragic loss for her family and has been a heavy burden on our community. The little girl, 7 years old, died instantly. By Find the perfect carolina edgecombe stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. 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Prosecutors claim Aiyana's father, Charles Jones, gave Owens the gun he used to kill Je'Rean. The officers also claimed Few had a weapon, that was also a lie. Part of HuffPost Crime. Detroit Corporation Counsel Lawrence Garcia announced the settlement with the family of Aiyana Stanley-Jones four days before a civil trial was to begin. Dominika Stanley, left, the mother of Aiyana Jones, seven, sits next to Aiyanas father Charles Jones in Southfield, Michigan in 2010. Officer Weekley, who is white, is still free. Weekley says he accidentally fired his gun during a struggle with Aiyana's grandmother. 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. He says he accidentally fired his gun during a struggle with Aiyana's grandmother. 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. On May 16, 2010, plaintiff's decedent Aiyana Stanley-Jones, 7, was inside her Detroit home when she was shot in the head. The fact that a police officer received such a hefty sentence is a win for victims of police misconduct across the country. The girl's father, Charles Jones, was convicted of second-degree murder for providing the gun used to kill Blake. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Mertilla Jones, who witnessed Detroit police officer Joe Weekley shoot her granddaughter Aiyana in May 2010, speaks at Grand Circus Park on July 14, 2013 in Detroit. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. According to ABC local afiliate WXYZ, evidence presented in court Thursday showed that neither Jones' fingerprints nor DNA were found on the officer's gun. He was arrested in a separate upstairs unit of the multi-family house. Then I heard verbal commands after they were through firing," Few said. Kelley joined the station on February 10, 1986, two months after graduating from the University of Florida. Fishman was referring to the prosecution, not the defense. There were no threats. Aiyana Mo'Nay Stanley-Jones (July 20, 2002 - May 16, 2010) was a seven-year-old African-American girl from Detroit 's East Side who was shot in the neck and killed by police officer Joseph Weekley during a raid conducted by the Detroit Police Department's Special Response Team targeting a suspect in the apartment a . 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. Officer Joseph Weekley was first through the door and after a flash-bang grenade went off, he fired his gun, killing Aiyana. The prosecution and defense have offered contradictory depictions of the events leading up to Stanley-Jones' death. Since Aiyana's death, critics have denounced the practice of having TV producers in the midst of police investigations, and activists have argued that having a television crew present could have affected how the police executed their search warrant the night Aiyana was killed -- creating more of a spectacle than was necessary, for the sake of the cameras. This website does not provide legal advice. Sleeping 7-year-old girl shot in head during no-knock police raid on wrong home Weekley was first through the door, with a shield in one hand and a gun in the other. During a raid targeting the apartment on the floor above Stanley-Jones, Officer Joseph Weekley of a SWAT-like team, fired a hand grenade into Stanley-Jones' unit, burning her blanket. This is Weekley's . 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. Officer Joseph Weekley fatally shot the young girl in what he claimed was an alleged struggle with Jones's grandmother, Mertilla Jones, though she says she had just reached over to protect the. "I knew it was my gun that went off because I was right there," Weekley said. "It's my gun that shot and killed a 7-year-old girl," Weekley told Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Robert Moran during his first trial in 2013. Weekley testified the grandmother struck his weapon and caused him. All rights reserved. According to the Greenhouse and Stafford, the officers decided to conduct a traffic stop because Few had an outstanding warrant. Jose Guerena, 26, was a Marine Corps veteran who'd served two tours of duty in Iraq. He has been free on personal bond since his arraignment in 2011. In 2013, at Weekley's first trial, his lawyer pointed to Jones' inconsistent accounts of the shooting and otherwise attacked her credibility, according to MLive. Weekley is being retried after a jury failed to reach a verdict last year in . He says he accidentally fired his gun during a struggle with Aiyana's grandmother. According to Weekley, a fellow officer threw a flash-bang grenade through the window, temporarily blinding him. "The only evidence that points to any kind of knowingly creating a danger or intending to cause injury, the only testimony is that of Mertilla Jones, which is by its nature and by comparison to the other testimony, including the medical examiner, is completely and totally unbelievable," Fishman told the judge on Friday. and He said he began to realize what happened. As the Associated Press reports,Ruth Wisher, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Jeff Landry's office, said Stafford was sentenced to 40 years for manslaughter and 15 years for attempted manslaughter. 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. Officer Weekley faced his first trial in June 2013. 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. 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. We believe today's settlement is fair because it balances the needs of Aiyana's family and our responsibility for the city's finances. 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