Cop Who Shot Seven-Year-Old Detroit Girl Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter

In May 2010, seven-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones of Detroit was shot and killed by a member of a SWAT team that was searching for a murder suspect (who was found in the downstairs apartment.)

The story was followed by Reason's then Senior Editor Radley Balko, who raised excellent questions about the cops' decisions, the use of flashbang stun grenades, and the influence of cameras in the raid. 

Now, the Detroit Free Press reports:

Detroit Police Officer Joseph Weekley has been arraigned on charges of involuntary manslaughter and careless and reckless discharge of a firearm causing death….

Also charged is Allison Howard, a 42-year-old Boston woman, who is being charged with perjury investigative subpoena and obstruction of justice. She was a videographer on "The First 48," which had a television crew following the Special Response Team the night of the raid.

The rest, including lingering question about the raid, here. And the Associated Press and USA Today report on the arraignment. 

Reason on the militarization of police, including Balko on the dangers of supposedly non-lethal flashbang grenades.

Comments

[R C Dean]

Allison Howard, a 42-year-old Boston woman, who is being charged with perjury investigative subpoena

That's a new one.

[Lucy Steigerwald]

Good point. I assume they just meant (as other sources said) perjury and obstruction of justice.

[Apatheist]

"Assistant prosecutor Robert Moran told the court that she lied during the investigative subpoena, adding seven months onto the investigation into the shooting by Michigan State Police."

[Lucy Steigerwald]

It just seemed like there should be more words somehow.

[Groovus Maximus]

You just like the word subpoena and were hell bent on its incorporation, Lucy.

[Episiarch]

Subpeona means "under punishment" (or "under penalty"). Anything you want to admit to the crowd about your predilections, Lucy? Maybe Warty can get you a ball gag and creepily mail it to you with bite marks in it. He did that to me and I'd like everyone to experience it.

[Warty]

Ball gags are overdone. I'm into using big chunks of salt as gags these days, you ignorant peckerwood.

[Episiarch]

That's because you've taken to raping deer in the woods. You change your fetishes more often than the doc changes his women's underwear.

Edward D. Wood, Jr.: Listen, I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime, grab some dinner, maybe?

Vampira: You mean a date? I thought you were a fag.

Edward D. Wood, Jr.: No, no, I'm just a transvestite.

[Warty]

The deer deserve what they get. THOSE FUCKERS ATE MY TAMATERS

[Art-P.O.G.]

Underrated film. I can't believe I forgot to mention it when I was listing Tim Burton movies I liked.

[Apatheist]

Yeah I don't know whether it is a typo or if the Michigan code actually has a specific kinds of perjury. Considering how overly complicated most codes are these days you never know.

[Paul]

What, no death penalty?

[Almanian]

Yeah, but NOTHING ELSE HAPPENED.

So it's all good.

[Another Isolated Incident]

Almanian|10.4.11 @ 4:13PM|#
Yeah, but NOTHING ELSE HAPPENED.

After all this time I'm startled to discover that my little meme lives on amongst the lifers here. Maybe y'all should get a life. Or is my meme...simply irresistible?

[Fist of Etiquette]

"The shooting itself tears them up," Weekley's lawyer, Steve Fishman, said about shootings involving officers. "I don't think anybody realizes how their lives change. People think they're androids and robots, and they're wrong."

"He knows he was acting as a police officer in a dangerous mission," Fishman said of his client.

This is a systemic problem that doesn't seem to want to go away, even on the rare occasions that charges are brought. Weekley didn't storm in there all on his own. Supervisors and trainers need to have their necks on the block as well. This situation was made dangerous by police action.

[The Hippy Spring]

What could they be charged with?

[T]

Accessory to manslaughter in this case.

[Brendan Perez]

About 2000vAC @ 10A.

[The Mossy Spaniard]

+100

[DEM]

Gosh, he's really upset about killing that little girl. Really, it's gut-wrenching. The man can't watch half a football game without thinking about it. Hasn't he been punished enough?

[Episiarch]

I think he needs a commendation or possibly a medal to cheer him up.

[zeroentitlement]

Or, at the very least, another couple of months off with full pay.

[John C. Randolph]

I'd be prepared to believe he was genuinely remorseful if he shot himself in the head.

-jcr

[Brendan Perez]

"He knows he was acting as a police officer in a dangerous mission," Fishman said of his client.

Dangerous because they chose to pursue their 'mission' the way they did.

Can I act that way too? Run into stores with my gun drawn and shoot anyone who makes a "furtive" movement? I mean, stores can be dangerous and I'm just an average citizen acting in a dangerous situation. It's not my fault I chose to act in a manner that left little room for error, right?

[Tango Mike]

WHAT HAPPENED TO BALKO? I guess I'm not the most observant guy. I see he's not on the staff listing anymore. I'm amazed I haven't heard commentors talking about it.

[MWG]

He left for Huffpo a few months ago. Reason links to his articles every now and then.

[Hank]

He left for HuffPo roughly 136 years ago.

[nobody]

Instead of frequenting the HuffPo cesspool I just make a daily trip to Balko's website to receive the ritual nutpunch.

[Joe M]

It's just a bunch of careless crap that ends in tragedy, again and again. They really need to throttle back on this aggressive tuff gai nonsense.

[wylie]

I just checked the Official Aggressive Tuff Gai Dictionary of Phrases, and don't ya know, "Throttle Back" isn't even listed.

[Groovus Maximus]

I hope Weekley is flashbanged daily for this shotgun blast full of incompetence.

[Tim]

Wow, you really are a smartass. And I mean that in the best possible, admiring way.

[Groovus Maximus]

Thanks Tim. This poor, innocent little girl was set on fire before shot to death. It's revolting and beyond disgraceful.

Having treated burn victims and witnessing the agony they go through just makes any and sympathy or empathy for this scobknocker evaporate instantly, not that I had any in the first place.

I wouldn't piss on him if he was...wait for it...on fire.

[Episiarch]

"flashbanged daily"

Doc, I think you've invented the latest term for unusual sexual intercourse; the latest "Rusty Trombone" or "Hot Carl".

So...what is a Flashbang? Making it be premature ejaculation would be too obvious, and would also make you and JW feel bad as it's a reminder of your...problems.

We need input from NutraSweet, obviously.

[Amakudari]

I think it's where the chick flashes you and you shoot her dog.

[kilroy]

I was thinking it was a mob gang rape coordinated over some social network interface.

[Groovus Maximus]

I'm glad you picked up on the nuance, Epi-siotomy. That's precisely the intimation I was making.

Making it be premature ejaculation would be too obvious, and would also make you and JW feel bad as it's a reminder of your...problems.

I'll thank you not to project your problematic pecker misfires in my general direction, you misanthropic festering scab chucker.

Actually, a "Flashbang" would be either an explosion of colossal discharge in the orifice in which it's spurt, or, in this context, forceful induction of incendiary phosphorous combustibles in this malfeasant jackboot's salad bowl.

A napalm enema would be too good for this wretched pig.

[Episiarch]

Inverse Spacedock?

[JW]

I was thinking that a flashbang was more akin to a felon flashmob banging the shit out of you for 6 solid hours.

[Episiarch]

You and kilroy have basically come to the same definition. That works.

Now, who gets Flashbanged first? I vote for ProL.

[JW]

Damn. Didn't even see kilroy's until you mentioned it.

Remember, Epi, when I promised to flashbang you last?

[Warty]

DON'T FLASHBANG MY FRIEND HEEZ DEAD TIRED

[Episiarch]

Don't tell me you lied.

So that's two votes for ProL, then?

[kilroy]

Aye. We have a quorum.

[Warty]

A flashbang is when you work at a steel mill and moonlight as a stripper, and you have dreams or something, but you end up making a living getting banged by donkeys. It should be familiar to you.

[Episiarch]

Speaking of Jennifer Beals, she looks amazing for her age. She's in The Chicago Code which I believe was canceled.

And besides, I'm more Fleshdance than Flashdance.

[JW]

Making it be premature ejaculation would be too obvious, and would also make you and JW feel bad as it's a reminder of your...problems.

Anything more than a minute is just wasting valuable time.

[SugarFree]

Agreed. That's why I only ejaculate blood.

[Ted Stevens]

I hope your mother is murdered and you fall into tears begging the Police to help you, or maybe you'll have the guts to tell them fuck off then.

[Groovus Maximus]

Behold, Urban Dictionary hath spoken.

[Warty]

v. to fuck someone most vigorously and rapidly, as if one were The Flash.

Not bad.

[R C Dean]

I like the "most". Very posh.

[Bill S. Preston, Esquire]

Most non-heinous usage, dudes!

[R C Dean]

"He knows he was acting as a police officer in a dangerous mission," Fishman said of his client.

Sounds like it was especially dangerous for anyone within range.

[hmm]

I await the not an expert defense...

[Libertymike]

Why not murder 2? The facts certainly support that charge.

[cynical]

Do they?

[Anti-Gunner]

Involuntary manslaughter. You see, guns DO just jump in to your hand and shoot people without consent!

[Ted Stevens]

Maybe if you were a SWAT Officer you'd walk through the door with your arms outstretched offering hugs to the denizens in a Detroit crackhouse, but not everyone can be you.

[Govco]

Fishman will get him an aquital.

[Dunce-Phy]

DUNPHY WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU

[RyanXXX]

Dunphy=Weekley

It's not like we've ever seen them in the same place

[Chummycrackers]

I am getting closer and closer to doing what I've wanted to do for years: go to a cemetery, find a cops grave, and piss on it - videotape it and post it online. See how many of the boys-in-blue heads explode.

[wayne]

Sounds to me like you might have a tragic accident: "blogger decapitated in single car rollover"

[kevin]

I have worked with these very cops, as a cameraman, at let me be the first to tell you, that they do NOT want us following them around, they are following orders, there is a chain of command that they follow. Nor do they want to "show off" for the cameras with flashbangs etc. Detroit SRT is very highly trained, do the research on the scum they were going to arrest before casting judgement, please.

[John C. Randolph]

Do research? Like they didn't do, so they didn't know there were kids in the house they were storming into?

Why don't you get bent, you pathetic apologist.

-jcr

[Ted Stevens]

Hopefully your wife will get ass raped on her way home today, make sure you tell the Police to fuck off at her hospital bed genius.

[JW]

Detroit SRT is very highly trained

Not highly enough, it seems, unless you're talking about inflicting as much harm to bystanders as possible.

[Lucy Steigerwald]

Things not debatable: the dead seven-year-old.

[Kristen]

Are you calling a SEVEN-YEAR-OLD LITTLE GIRL scum, you corpsefucking douchedrinker?

[R C Dean]

Detroit SRT is very highly trained,

Not just anybody can set a 7 year old girl on fire before shooting her. That takes New Professionalism.

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