Aiyana Jones
Encyclopedia
Aiyana Mo'Nay Stanley Jones (July 20, 2002 – May 16, 2010) was a seven-year-old girl from the East Side of Detroit, Michigan
who was shot and killed during a raid conducted by the Detroit Police Department's
Special Response Team
on May 16, 2010. Her death drew national media attention and led U.S. Representative John Conyers
to ask U.S. Attorney General
Eric Holder
for a federal investigation into the incident.
According to press reports, police were on the scene by 12:40 a.m. on Sunday, May 16, 2010. In an attempt to distract the occupants, police fired a flash grenade through the front window of the bottom floor, where Aiyana and Mertilla Jones slept. As police entered the front door, Officer Joseph Weekley fired a shot and struck Aiyana in the head or neck area. Police escorted Aiyana to St. John Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The police officer responsible for the shooting, Joe "Brain" Weekley, is a member of Detroit's SWAT team, and was a frequent subject on A&E
, whose film crews were filming the investigation.
Chauncey Owens, who is engaged to be married to Aiyana's aunt, was found in the upper floor of the duplex and surrendered without incident. Three days later, he was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Jerean Blake. Aiyana's father was also held in conspiracy of the murder of Jerean Blake and is believed to be the person who provided the gun that killed Blake leading to the raid and subsequent death of his daughter.
In a last-minute plea bargain, Chauncey Owens admitted to killing 17-year-old Je'Rean Blake and agreed to testify that Charles Jones (Aiyana's father) gave him the gun he used to shoot the teen last May for giving him a dirty look. In a voice so soft that Wayne County Circuit Judge Richard Skutt had him repeat his statement, Owens said he got the gun "from C.J. ... Charles Jones." Jones had been placed in the truck with Owens before, but Owens' admission Monday was the first time anyone said on the record that he was more than a passive observer. Michigan law says that anyone who "procures, counsels, aids or abets" in the commission of a crime may be tried and convicted as if he or she had directly committed the offense. The plea to second-degree murder calls for Owens to serve 28 years for the killing and an additional two years for using a gun in the commission of a felony, in exchange for his testimony about who gave him the gun.
Channel 4 News in Detroit has learned that Aiyana Jones' father, Charles Jones, who was also questioned in connection with Blake's death and had been placed at the scene of the crime, according to police, was involved in an altercation in Harper Woods Tuesday evening. Three teenagers filed police reports against Charles Jones, claiming that he waved a weapon at them and threatened them at Eastland Mall Tuesday. The teens said Charles Jones approached them because they were wearing T-shirts remembering Blake.
The teens told police that Charles Jones made crude remarks and revealed that he was carrying a weapon.
Both Owens and Charles Jones have extensive criminal pasts.
In 1995, Owens was charged with breaking and entering and faced charges for escaping from prison. In 2005, he was charged with unlawfully driving an automobile.
Jones was charged in 2001 with two counts of unarmed robbery. In 2004, Jones was charged with fleeing and eluding police while driving a stolen vehicle. The charged were later dropped.
Jones never actually spent time in jail, and instead cut a deal with prosecutors and was placed on probation.
On October 4, 2011, a grand jury indicted Weekley on charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and reckless use of a firearm. a crewmember of A&E who was present at the incident was charged with perjury and obrstuction of justice for lying to investigators about crutial details of the shooting.
The girl's father, Charles Jones, was arrested and arraigned on several charges, including first-degree murder in the killing of a teen two days before the police raid in May 2010
Raiding the home, police were searching for murder suspect Chauncey Owens, who has since pleaded guilty in the shooting death of 17-year-old Je'Rean Blake two days earlier over a supposed dirty look. In taking the plea deal, Owens had agreed to testify that Aiyana's father, Charles Jones, gave him the gun he used to kill Blake.
After a one year internal and federal investigation, a grand jury indicted Officer Joseph Weekley on involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment with a gun. Allison Howard, a producer with A&E who was also present at the raid, was indicted on obstruction of justice
and perjury
. Federal prosecutors say that Howard had provided false testimony to investigators about the shooting and that Weekley's action were reckless and he had lied to the police in an effort to blame Jones's family for her death.
gave the eulogy. The casket was white and was afterwards driven to the grave by horse drawn carriage
. She was buried on the grounds.
filed lawsuits on behalf of Aiyana's family. Fieger claims that footage from an undisclosed source shows that the lethal bullet came from outside the home, rather than inside, as police said. A spokesman for city police demanded that Fieger share the tape's contents with Michigan State Police
investigators. Fieger said he is not in possession of the tape but that he hoped to release it to the news media. After filing the wrongful death suit against the city, Fieger requested the video from the A&E Network. To this day, A&E refuses to provide the video to Fieger and the police for their respective investigations.
The tape was allegedly made by the A&E
reality show
The First 48
, which was following Detroit police at the time and had featured Detroit officers, including Weekley, in past episodes.
JAJC spokesperson, Roland Lawrence aka Fige Bornu said, "It has been a complete year since little Aiyana was snatched from life as a result of a reckless and/or intentional act by the Detroit Police Department. To add fire to her demise, local, state and federal authorities have literally ignored the gross and ghastly inhumane actions of the Detroit Police Department that took place in the wee hours of the morning when Aiyana's push to death was scripted and videotaped by the A & E cable program, The Next 48 Hours. We are demanding that the Detroit Police Department and A & E be criminally charged with the death of Aiyana Jones, and that Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and the Detroit City Council acknowledge that the Detroit Police Department acted in total disregard when they actively participated in the killing of Aiyana Jones."
Activists from several cities across the U.S. and world worked with JAJC to organize the event.
Read more: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/detroit/activists-protest-on-one-year-anniversay-of-7-year-old's-death#ixzz1XtIjzcl4
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
who was shot and killed during a raid conducted by the Detroit Police Department's
Detroit Police Department
The Detroit Police Department , established in 1865, is responsible for the city of Detroit, Michigan.-History:The Detroit Police Department was established in 1865 to serve the city's growing population and covers the city with 5 districts and two precincts. The Detroit Police Department was also...
Special Response Team
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
on May 16, 2010. Her death drew national media attention and led U.S. Representative John Conyers
John Conyers
John Conyers, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1965 . He is a member of the Democratic Party...
to ask U.S. Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
Eric Holder
Eric Holder
Eric Himpton Holder, Jr. is the 82nd and current Attorney General of the United States and the first African American to hold the position, serving under President Barack Obama....
for a federal investigation into the incident.
Context
On Friday, May 14, 2010, a teen named Jerean Blake was shot and killed near the intersection of Mack and Beniteau on Detroit's east side. By Saturday night, police had identified Chauncey Owens as a suspect in the shooting and obtained a warrant to search 4054 Lillibridge St, where he was believed to be hiding.Death
Police officers, bystanders, and residents of the home disagree about several aspects of the raid.According to press reports, police were on the scene by 12:40 a.m. on Sunday, May 16, 2010. In an attempt to distract the occupants, police fired a flash grenade through the front window of the bottom floor, where Aiyana and Mertilla Jones slept. As police entered the front door, Officer Joseph Weekley fired a shot and struck Aiyana in the head or neck area. Police escorted Aiyana to St. John Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The police officer responsible for the shooting, Joe "Brain" Weekley, is a member of Detroit's SWAT team, and was a frequent subject on A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
, whose film crews were filming the investigation.
Aftermath
After the shot was fired, Weekley reported to his sergeant that a woman inside had grabbed for his gun. Police arrested Mertilla Jones, administered tests for drugs and gunpowder, and released her Sunday morning. Mertilla said that she reached for Aiyana but had no contact with officers.Chauncey Owens, who is engaged to be married to Aiyana's aunt, was found in the upper floor of the duplex and surrendered without incident. Three days later, he was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Jerean Blake. Aiyana's father was also held in conspiracy of the murder of Jerean Blake and is believed to be the person who provided the gun that killed Blake leading to the raid and subsequent death of his daughter.
In a last-minute plea bargain, Chauncey Owens admitted to killing 17-year-old Je'Rean Blake and agreed to testify that Charles Jones (Aiyana's father) gave him the gun he used to shoot the teen last May for giving him a dirty look. In a voice so soft that Wayne County Circuit Judge Richard Skutt had him repeat his statement, Owens said he got the gun "from C.J. ... Charles Jones." Jones had been placed in the truck with Owens before, but Owens' admission Monday was the first time anyone said on the record that he was more than a passive observer. Michigan law says that anyone who "procures, counsels, aids or abets" in the commission of a crime may be tried and convicted as if he or she had directly committed the offense. The plea to second-degree murder calls for Owens to serve 28 years for the killing and an additional two years for using a gun in the commission of a felony, in exchange for his testimony about who gave him the gun.
Channel 4 News in Detroit has learned that Aiyana Jones' father, Charles Jones, who was also questioned in connection with Blake's death and had been placed at the scene of the crime, according to police, was involved in an altercation in Harper Woods Tuesday evening. Three teenagers filed police reports against Charles Jones, claiming that he waved a weapon at them and threatened them at Eastland Mall Tuesday. The teens said Charles Jones approached them because they were wearing T-shirts remembering Blake.
The teens told police that Charles Jones made crude remarks and revealed that he was carrying a weapon.
Both Owens and Charles Jones have extensive criminal pasts.
In 1995, Owens was charged with breaking and entering and faced charges for escaping from prison. In 2005, he was charged with unlawfully driving an automobile.
Jones was charged in 2001 with two counts of unarmed robbery. In 2004, Jones was charged with fleeing and eluding police while driving a stolen vehicle. The charged were later dropped.
Jones never actually spent time in jail, and instead cut a deal with prosecutors and was placed on probation.
On October 4, 2011, a grand jury indicted Weekley on charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and reckless use of a firearm. a crewmember of A&E who was present at the incident was charged with perjury and obrstuction of justice for lying to investigators about crutial details of the shooting.
The girl's father, Charles Jones, was arrested and arraigned on several charges, including first-degree murder in the killing of a teen two days before the police raid in May 2010
Raiding the home, police were searching for murder suspect Chauncey Owens, who has since pleaded guilty in the shooting death of 17-year-old Je'Rean Blake two days earlier over a supposed dirty look. In taking the plea deal, Owens had agreed to testify that Aiyana's father, Charles Jones, gave him the gun he used to kill Blake.
After a one year internal and federal investigation, a grand jury indicted Officer Joseph Weekley on involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment with a gun. Allison Howard, a producer with A&E who was also present at the raid, was indicted on obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice
The crime of obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, refers to the crime of interfering with the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials...
and perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
. Federal prosecutors say that Howard had provided false testimony to investigators about the shooting and that Weekley's action were reckless and he had lied to the police in an effort to blame Jones's family for her death.
Funeral
Her funeral was held in the Second Ebenezer Church on May 22, 2010 in Detroit. Al SharptonAl Sharpton
Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and television/radio talk show host. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election...
gave the eulogy. The casket was white and was afterwards driven to the grave by horse drawn carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
. She was buried on the grounds.
Video of incident
Geoffrey FiegerGeoffrey Fieger
Geoffrey Fieger is an American attorney based in Southfield, Michigan. Fieger is the senior partner at the law firm of Fieger, Fieger, Kenney, Johnson & Giroux and is an occasional legal commentator for NBC and MSNBC...
filed lawsuits on behalf of Aiyana's family. Fieger claims that footage from an undisclosed source shows that the lethal bullet came from outside the home, rather than inside, as police said. A spokesman for city police demanded that Fieger share the tape's contents with Michigan State Police
Michigan State Police
The Michigan State Police is the state police agency for the state of Michigan. The MSP is a full service law enforcement agency with its sworn members having full police powers statewide....
investigators. Fieger said he is not in possession of the tape but that he hoped to release it to the news media. After filing the wrongful death suit against the city, Fieger requested the video from the A&E Network. To this day, A&E refuses to provide the video to Fieger and the police for their respective investigations.
The tape was allegedly made by the A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
reality show
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
The First 48
The First 48
The First 48 is an American documentary television series that airs on A&E. Filmed in various cities in the United States, the series offers an insider's look at the real-life world of homicide investigators...
, which was following Detroit police at the time and had featured Detroit officers, including Weekley, in past episodes.
Connection to 2007 raid
Officer Joseph Weekley, a 14-year veteran of the Detroit Police Department, is one of several officers targeted in a federal lawsuit alleging that they shot two dogs and pointed a gun at children during a 2007 raid of a Detroit house. A hearing in U.S. District Court, scheduled for June 9, will decide whether the case goes to trial. The lawsuit, which was moved from the Wayne Circuit Court to the U.S. District Court in April 2009, accuses Weekley and other members of the Special Response Team of entering a Detroit house on Feb. 8, 2007, shooting two dogs, and then pointing a gun at an unspecified number of children, including an infant. The officers were looking for Marlon Westbrook, who later was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to seven to 15 years in prison.One-Year Anniversary Aerial Protest
The Justice for Aiyana Jones Committee (JAJC) arranged for an aerial banner to fly from the home where Aiyana Jones was killed to downtown Detroit. It began at 1:00 p.m. Monday, May 16, 2011. The banner, pulled by a small plane read "Justice for Aiyana Jones."JAJC spokesperson, Roland Lawrence aka Fige Bornu said, "It has been a complete year since little Aiyana was snatched from life as a result of a reckless and/or intentional act by the Detroit Police Department. To add fire to her demise, local, state and federal authorities have literally ignored the gross and ghastly inhumane actions of the Detroit Police Department that took place in the wee hours of the morning when Aiyana's push to death was scripted and videotaped by the A & E cable program, The Next 48 Hours. We are demanding that the Detroit Police Department and A & E be criminally charged with the death of Aiyana Jones, and that Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and the Detroit City Council acknowledge that the Detroit Police Department acted in total disregard when they actively participated in the killing of Aiyana Jones."
Activists from several cities across the U.S. and world worked with JAJC to organize the event.
Read more: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/detroit/activists-protest-on-one-year-anniversay-of-7-year-old's-death#ixzz1XtIjzcl4