It is yet another case of racist police violence resulting in a horrific tragedy. Early on the morning of May 16, seven-year-old Aiyana Jones was sleeping on a sofa, when she was fatally shot in the neck by a Detroit police officer during a raid on her home. Her father, 25-year-old Charles Jones, told The Detroit News that he was forced to lie down with his face in his daughter’s blood.
 Aiyana Jones |
Officers were supposedly searching for a murder suspect. They fired a flash-bang grenade through the front window and then stormed the family home. The family claims the grenade burned Aiyana.
Mertilla Jones, the grandmother of Aiyana said, “They blew my granddaughter’s brains out. They killed her right before my eyes. I watched the lights go out of her eyes. I seen it.”
Geoffrey Fieger, the attorney representing the family, has filed a lawsuit against the city of Detroit and the Detroit Police Department. The entire ordeal was caught on video tape, as A&E was on location filming an episode of “The First 48.” However, A&E has not yet publicly released the video.
The shooting has gained the media spotlight. “Damn Detroit Police Department! You burned, shot and killed Aiyana Jones, a little seven-year-old girl,” fashion designer Kimora Simmons wrote on globalgrind.com, an urban culture Web site.
So far, three details are being disputed. The first, which the Detroit Free Press reported based on information from anonymous police sources, is that the raid team did not know children might be in the home. Family members said there were toys in the front yard.
The second disputed detail is that police entered the home before Aiyana was shot. The family said police opened fire before entering the house. According to Fieger, the A&E video footage of the incident proves this.
The third disputed detail is that Joseph Weekley’s gun accidently went off following a struggle with Aiyana’s grandmother, 46-year-old Mertilla Jones. Jones said she did not have contact with the police and that they are lying.
Following the shooting, Jones was taken into custody. In a news conference, Fieger said, “When the officers attempted to come up with some type of explanation or cover-up or alibi for the shooting, they decided to blame Mertilla.”
This is not the first incident involving a gun and children for Weekley. The Detroit News revealed that in a 2009 federal lawsuit he was accused of being part of a team that broke into a home, shot two dogs and pointed a pistol at children.
In an interview with Democracy Now!, Ron Scott, the founder of the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, said these types of incidents have gotten worse in recent years with response teams conducting “military-style raids.”
The death of Aiyana is yet another in a long line of murderous acts by racist police departments all across the country. Arrest Weekley and put him on trial for murder! Justice for Aiyana Jones and her family now!
