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. Critics of police militarization have pointed to Aiyana's death when looking at ramifications of the increased use of SWAT teams among local law enforcement. Officer Joseph Weekley will return to court Nov. 21, and Wayne County prosecutors now have six weeks to see whether they will seek to have Weekley tried for a third time. Ellis was unarmed. DETROIT, MI -- It's been five years since Detroit Police Officer Joseph Weekley led a SWAT team in search of a murder suspect and fatally shot 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones. 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. the 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. 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? 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. (Kathleen Galligan/Detroit Free Press via AP, File), Paddock Publications, Inc. is an Employee-Owned Company. Dixon's testimony did confirm that Few was, in fact, attempting to wave her down and pointing at Jeremy. The only full justice would be to bring Aiyana back and I can't do that.". Meanwhile, Weekley released a statement shortly before the mistrial was declared. 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. Associated Press. 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 . Atkins, Virginia Tack welded trailer frames, wired up refrigeration units and ran all the electrical components for each trailer. Police disputed the Westbrooks' version of events, according to the Free Press, but the case was settled late in 2010, some time after Aiyana's death. A 17-question survey given to prospective jurors on Monday included four questions related to the Ferguson shooting, according to The Detroit News. 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. The only reason Few ran from Greenhouse that night was to catch up with Dixon so he could give her Jeremy in case he was arrested. We believe today's settlement is fair because it balances the needs of Aiyana's family and our responsibility for the city's finances. 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. Jurors later told the judge they couldnt reach a verdict. Sally LaBorde, a passenger in the van Dixon was driving, also testified, saying she could clearly see Few pointing to Jeremy in the car, and the implication was unmistakable that he wanted Dixon to take care of his son, according to the Advocate. He will serve the sentences concurrently. Ron Scott, founder of the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, has represented Aiyana's family since the shooting. 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. 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. 20:54 GMT 19 Jun 2013. "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. They're looking to protect," said Detroit Mayor Dave Bing Wednesday. 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. In 2007, police raided the home of Martin Westbrook, who at that time was allegedly already in custody for an armed robbery. The prosecution will file an emergency appeal with the Court of Appeals, according to the Detroit News. The girl's father, Charles Jones, was convicted of second-degree murder for providing the gun used to kill Blake. Howard received a sentence of two years' probation. Mertilla Jones testified that Owens lived in the upper unit with her daughter, LaKrystal Sanders. In February, Owens was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. 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. 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. Jennifer Joseph Expand search. However, the Clerk of Court, the District Attorneys Office, Marksville Police Department, and City Court noted that they did not have any warrants against him. Aiyana Mo'Nay Stanley-Jones (May 16, 2010): Jones, a seven-year-old Black girl, was shot in the head by Detroit officer Joseph Weekley during a raid on the apartment above hers. In at least one of those other raids, Weekley and his team were accused of using unnecessary force. Some video shot from the sidewalk was part of the evidence. Weekley was first through the door, with a shield in one hand and a gun in the other. Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway declared a mistrial in the case for the second time after the first trial ended in a hung jury in June 2013. 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. But supporters of the seven-year-old victim, Aiyana Jones, said they believe the jury was unable to reach a decision due to race. 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. 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. (Kathleen Galligan/Detroit Free Press via AP, File) "Aiyana's death was a tragic loss for her family and has been a heavy burden on our community. 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. DPD Spokesman John Roach said the Detroit Police Department SWAT team member is 34-year-old officer Joseph Weekley. Local 4 obtained a video of Weekley in which he worked to help organize a charitable event called SWAT For Tots. Westbrook and his wife sued Weekley and other members of the SRT for assault, false imprisonment and gross negligence, alleging that officers came into the home without warning, shot and killed the family's two dogs for no reason and pointed guns at a child and infant, according to the complaint. We hope this resolution will provide everyone involved a measure of closure," Garcia said in a statement. She pleaded no contest to the obstruction of justice charge, and the perjury charge was dropped. Nobody alleges that Officer Joseph Weekley intended to kill Aiyana Stanley-Jones, who had been sleeping on a couch near the front door when officers burst through around midnight in search of a murder suspect. DragonEye Tech: Leaders in LIDAR Speed Measurement, The family was awarded $8.25 million for the accidental death of the 7-year-old during a raid. Aiyana was sleeping on one end of the couch, and her grandmother Mertilla Jones was on the other in May 2010 when an armed, black-clad and masked police officers stormed the apartment. Weekley told jurors: I just feel devastated and depressed. Weekley's colleagues gave him the nickname "The Brain," according to The Detroit News, because he was always thinking. Besides the glaring presence of toys strewn about the lawn and front porch, it is unlikely that investigators could have missed the presence of four young children and multi-generational family in the opposite unit during their surveillance of the duplex. Charges Dismissed Against Joseph Weekley, Cop Who Fatally Shot Sleeping 7-Year-Old 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. After he was shot, Few lost consciousness and didn't know his son died until he woke up in a hospital six days later the day of Jeremy's funeral. "The whole reason there was even a chase was for his well-being," he said. # 22-13, Pg. Weekley, a member of an elite police unit, insists he accidentally pulled the trigger when Aiyana's grandmother grabbed his gun as officers burst through the door of her home. If convicted, Weekley could face up to 15 years behind bars. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. She said she'd initially been asleep on the couch with Aiyana, but that she was on the floor when Weekley shot his weapon, not close enough to touch the gun. Detroit Police Chief James Craig told George Hunter of the Detroit News last week that Weekley was restored to active duty April 2. This website does not provide legal advice. All too often we see police officers murder the innocent only to be exonerated by a grand jury or acquitted during a trial. He says he accidentally fired his gun during a struggle with Aiyana's grandmother. The girl's father, Charles Jones, was convicted of second-degree murder for providing the gun used to kill Blake. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. HuffPost reporter Radley Balko wrote last year that reality shows profiling police actions support a growing "police-industrial-entertainment complex": Over the last decade or so, the cable dial has been stuffed full of programming that serves to make us more comfortable with police units that treat neighborhoods like battlefields. Available for both RF and RM licensing. All rights reserved (About Us). All rights reserved. As the Free Thought Project has previously reported, this entire scenario could've been over a relationship. They found Owens upstairs and arrested him. Weekley shot Stanley-Jones in 2010 during a botched police raid in search of a murder suspect. During Weekleys first trial, a fellow officer, Shawn Stallard, testified that he did not see anyone struggle with Weekley. Weekley says the MP5 only weighs six pounds and has almost no recoil, which is why he didn't initially know it had fired. On the evening of May 16, 2010, the Detroit Police Departments Special Response Team (SRT) prepared for a surprise raid to arrest a wanted man. "The guy was just pointing right there and Aiyana [was] hit," Jones testified last year. Kelley joined the station on February 10, 1986, two months after graduating from the University of Florida. The Detroit police officer who fatally shot a sleeping 7-year-old girl will not be retried, officials said Wednesday. 'This is a bittersweet outcome: Bitter because Weekley was not convicted, and sweet in that justice for Aiyana Jones will come soon,' said Roland Lawrence. AP Photo by Carlos Osorio. The family's attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, said the settlement should allow the family, the city and Weekley to move on from the tragedy. I've got something for you." We hope this resolution will provide everyone involved a measure of closure," Garcia said in a statement. On the third day of deliberations, loud voices could be heard coming from the jury room. Weekley claims his MP5 sub-machine gun fired when Aiyana's grandmother, Mertila Jones, slammed his gun with her hand. Joseph Weekley testifying at first trial in June, 2013. Download the Yahoo News app. Greenhouse also happens to be the son of the assistant district attorney in Marksville. Weekley says he accidentally fired his gun during a struggle with Aiyana's grandmother. Lexipol. 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 . 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. They've criticized the nighttime raid and the possible use of excessive force, particularly the use of a flash-bang grenade. 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