DETROIT — Police who carried out a raid on a family home that left a 7-year-old girl dead over the weekend were accompanied by a camera crew for a reality television show, and an attorney says video of the siege contradicts the police account of what happened. Police have said officers threw a flash grenade through the first-floor window of the two-family home, and that an officer’s gun discharged, killing the girl, during a struggle or after colliding with the girl’s grandmother inside the home.
But Fieger said the video shows an officer lobbing the grenade and then shooting into the home from the porch.
“There is no question about what happened because it’s in the videotape,” Fieger said. “It’s not an accident. It’s not a mistake. There was no altercation.”
“Aiyana Jones was shot from outside on the porch. The videotape shows clearly the officer throwing through the window a stun grenade-type explosive and then within milliseconds of throwing that, firing a shot from outside the home,” he said.
A&E spokesman Dan Silberman said neither he nor anyone else from the network would comment about the case, and he denied a request by The Associated Press for the footage. Fieger said the investigation into what happened during the raid “needed to go no further than the videotape.”
“The videotape shows clearly that the assistant police chief and the officers on the scene are engaging in an intentional cover up of the events,” Fieger said. He said more than one camera was recording at the scene, and that the footage includes sound.
Police arrested the target of the raid, a 34-year-old man suspected of killing a 17-year-old boy, in the upstairs unit in the two-family home. Police had warrants to search both properties, and family members of the slain girl were seen going in and out of both on Monday. The suspect has not been charged, and it was not immediately clear what relationship he had to the slain girl.
The department declined to say whether it was being paid by the television show.
Am I the only one to believe that being on camera had any influence in the cops actions? The presence of a video camera will only taint, or even drive any so called “reality”.
“Why I Really Hate Handguns ….and You Should Too”
Seems like in this case the reality crew was a good thing, preventing the police cover up.
McCullough–while what you wonder/say is generally true, its just the opposite point that is demonstrated here.
That is unless what you actually do mean is that absent the videotaping, the police would not have shot blindly into the house? Is that what you mean McCullough?
If so, then you have to deal with how KNOWING THEY WERE VIDEOTAPED, they went ahead and perjured themselves? Was that for the videotape too?
Heh, heh. You are approaching the liebertard standard of stupidity on this brain fart.
McCullough your conclusion is bizarre. There are lots of reasons to hate reality shows, this ain’t one of them. Cameras are a check and balance to police actions. Normally it’s just their word against the average Joe. The article clearly states that the videotape contradicts the officer’s account. Without the tape, who do you think would be believed?
Are you suggesting that the cop fired into the house to make it good fer tv? That’s ludicrous and defies all logic.
Camera’s don’t catch everything. They do make some accounts of events unacceptable. Who gets helped or hurt by this depends on who crossed the line.
I’m usually a cop defender but wow are they screwed.
#5–do-ill==what line do you see?
I think he means that the camera made the cop act all heroic and normally a police officer wouldn’t have shot randomly into a house. With the camera crew around he wanted to look macho and tough like some superhero for tv but really screwed up. Good thing the cameras caught this in the end. Goes to show that police really do try to cover up alot of there mistakes.
Rodney King. Video Good…
#8 Most idiot cops act that way anyway. They do not have the mental stability and maturity to be in the force in the first place.
#3. “Heh, heh. You are approaching the liebertard standard of stupidity on this brain fart.”
And of course you would turn this into a political left vs. right discussion. Nicely done. And expected.
#1 – Handguns, or for that matter, all guns, are good and I love them. It is the obliviot holding said firearm that is to be punished for incorrect usage. I would suggest they all take a look at FrontSight Firearms Training Institute to beef up there abilities.
#11–McCullough–No, setting the bar at a well known standard of stupidity does not turn the issue into a left/right political one. You’d have to be awfully biased to see my post that way. Read it again and you may see I assumed it was just a one-off accident or too quickly thought thru or reacted to===a brain fart.
Now, if YOU want to say that all liebertards are brain farts, I wouldn’t take exception to that BUT you can be on the left or on the right and if abysmally political, religious, or just plain retarded, yes you can sink to the liebertardain level of stupidity.
Actually, its not just libertarianism. Any idea/notion/value that becomes dogmatic can/should have the “tardian” suffix added. Its a good thing.
reality tv =/= real tv. just like all shows it has writers, directors, actors, producers ect.
What great TV! The ratings are gonna go through the roof!
I think all this proves is that cops are complete morons. Why lie when it’s on tape? Probably thought they’d get suspension-with-pay.
Remember when A&E was kind of a “highbrow” cable network? What happened?
The link was not able to answer the questions I have.
1. Who has reviewed the video (or videos) of the operation other than this attorney?
2. Why would the police lie when they know the video would show the lie.
3. Could the lawyer be lying about what is on the video? Could he be misinterpreting events he says he saw on the video?
Until I hear from a more unbiased person I have trouble taking the lawyer’s word for the event as shown by the video.
I’ll give $50 to the first person who can show me of cop-killing-civilian case in which the police were *not* proven to lie in their initial reports.
“Any idea/notion/value that becomes dogmatic can/should have the “tardian” suffix added.”
I just caught that. Made me chuckle and nod yes.
ok, YOU MONSTERS/Idiots…
QUIT copying my syntax..
find YOUR OWN..
#16
-2…you really have to ask this question??? THEN YOU ARE AN IDIOT…
-3..COULD BE..but WHO has watched it?? the STATE attorney?? do you want them to RELEASE it on YOUTUBE??? how about a few past posts here?? 1 of which posts a video of MANY idiot COPS…
#17
I WOULD IF I COULD…$50 just send the $50, Im broke. ($800 per month isnt enough)
Your position on this couldnt be more wrong. The video crew helped this if anything. These cops act this way no matter what. Just go through last weeks cops stories on reddit. There would be 500 examples of how they abuse the public, commit crimes and lie to cover it up. They are bad people pure and simple. The video crew saved this poor family a lot of trouble and heart ache in having to deal with a cover up.
Wow ECA that’s a syntax? and here all this time I just thought you couldn’t type worth a damn.
This is the way police act. Want to change it? Start replacing their bosses (politicians) with people that care for more than their next campaign contribution.
I’ll bet the next time, the watch commander will nix the idea of a video crew accompanying the forced entry team. It brings out the Rambo in ’em.
Most of these weird shootings occur with glock handguns. The safety is on the trigger! And most have a very light trigger pull. So when the cop gets nervous his grip tightens a little and the gun goes off sooner than he intended. I love to shoot glocks but I would never carry one, the safety on the trigger is just not a good idea.
# 15 brm said, “Remember when A&E was kind of a “highbrow” cable network? What happened?” Money. People don’t watch Masterpiece Theater, they like Cops and Survivor and Kim Kardashian’s silicone.
McCullough – So you think they overacted because the cameras were there? Probably. But, I sort of feel like ANY armed entry into a house ought to be filmed. What idiot authorized an assault on a home where children were known (or OUGHT to have been known) to be in residence? You know “flash-bang” or stun grenades are not without painful effects and/or harmful sequellae.
Seems to me the police need to regain investigative skills and slow down on the armed assaults. E.g. the recent iPhone fiasco. Why did a judge write up a no-knock warrant for a non-violent crime? The cops could have waited until the guy came home and then introduced themselves and served the warrant. What’s the worst thing that could have happened? They might have had to eat a couple of more donuts while they waited. And, hey! My brother used to be a cop. So, I’m somewhat biased in their favor.
As for this incident, they say the cop tossed the grenade and “…within milliseconds…” fired his weapon. Sounds a lot like an accidental discharge while trying to get his (probably gloved) finger back into the trigger guard. Be interesting to see the footage when it leaks. But, I’m betting the cop is not punished for this.
#24 Poindexter said, on May 18th, 2010 at 4:54 am
“Most of these weird shootings occur with glock handguns. The safety is on the trigger! And most have a very light trigger pull. So when the cop gets nervous his grip tightens a little and the gun goes off sooner than he intended.”
Or he could leave his handgun in his holster until he is ready to fire it.
Animby said, on May 18th, 2010 at 4:59 am
“Sounds a lot like an accidental discharge while trying to get his (probably gloved) finger back into the trigger guard. Be interesting to see the footage when it leaks. But, I’m betting the cop is not punished for this.”
You don’t carry a gun in your hand with your finger inside the trigger guard. You only put your finger in a trigger guard when you are ready to pull the trigger. If I were the police chief, that police man would never again be allowed to carry a gun again. If it was my daughter he shot, I might find him when he was off duty and give him a personal demonstration on what happens when you don’t handle firearms safely.
# 26 Benjamin said, “You only put your finger in a trigger guard when you are ready to pull the trigger.”
Yes, that’s what I was taught, too. Even in combat training. But, look who we’re talking about here…
#19 ECA
So you take the word of a lawyer speaking to the press without any proof to back up his accusations? There may be many things wrong here but I’ll wait for more diverse sources of interpretation of the video before I believe what this lone lawyer says.
And as to copying your syntax and style, don’t worry. I feel confident that no one mistook my earlier post for anything written by you.
If the SWAT guys had gone in with napalm, mortars, and artillery BEFORE the warrant serve instead of a measly flash grenade , none of this would have happened.
Militarization of police procedure is NOT a good idea.
Animby said, on May 18th, 2010 at 6:16 am
“# 26 Benjamin said, “You only put your finger in a trigger guard when you are ready to pull the trigger.”
Yes, that’s what I was taught, too. Even in combat training. But, look who we’re talking about here…”
I don’t even put my finger in the trigger guard when I know the gun is unloaded and I have the cylinder open so I can see all six positions are empty on the revolver. I only have it in the guard on the range when I have the weapon pointed down range and I am going to fire.
The only exception is my bolt action rifle needs to have the trigger pulled to remove the bolt. However, I point the barrel toward the floor when doing that. I know that rifle isn’t loaded, but too many people have been shot by “unloaded” firearms.