In early August, Detroit Congressman John Conyers announced that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United Stated Department of Justice will open a probe into the death of 7-year-old Aiyana Jones at the hands of the Detroit Police Department.
In a released statement, Conyers expressed his appreciation for the federal government getting involved in the Jones situation.
“The shooting of Aiyana Jones has shaken the entire city community, and it demands a thorough and independent investigation,” said Conyers. “So, I am pleased that the Justice Department is acting in this case. It is plain that something went very, very wrong in the Jones home last May 16, and this investigation will shed much-needed light on these tragic events.”
Conyers continued. “I have been assured by the Justice Department that they will take a very careful look at this matter and that, if the facts warrant, they will be aggressive in responding,” he said. “I appreciate this update, and the Judiciary Committee will continue to closely monitor these events.”
Early on the morning of Sunday, May 16, Detroit’s special response team threw an incendiary device through a plate glass window at 4054 Lillybridge, where Jones was sleeping on the couch in the front room with her grandmother, Mertilla. One shot, fired by Detroit police, struck Jones and killed her. Attorney Geoffrey Fieger has filed a lawsuit against the city of Detroit on behalf of Jones’ family. The arrest warrant that Detroit police were executing was supposed to be for 4056 Lillybridge.
“This is a parent’s worst nightmare,” said Ralph Godbee, the assistant police chief for the Detroit Police Department, after the shooting. “Because of the ruthless and violent nature of the suspect in this case, it was determined that it would be in the best interest of public safety to execute the search warrant as soon as possible and detain the suspect while we sought a murder warrant.”
The AmNews previously reported in the spring that the Detroit Police Department had said it was Officer Joseph Weekley’s struggle with Mertilla that resulted in the gun going off and striking Jones. Fieger said that there’s video from the camera crew the A&E TV reality show “The First 48,” which documents police departments on the trail of homicide suspects, proving that the gun, as well as the incendiary device, were fired outside of the house.
“My belief is that this is part of a significant cover-up. Come forward and tell the truth,” Fieger said back in June.
Family and friends paid their respects to the family of Aiyana Jones at Second Ebenezer Baptist Church in Detroit in May. The Rev. Al Sharpton flew to Detroit to deliver the eulogy at the Jones family’s request.
Officer Weekley isn’t new to controversy. Last summer, Weekley shot a barricaded suspect, but Godbee said Weekley’s actions in that situation were appropriate. In 2009, Weekley was named, along with other police officers, in a federal lawsuit over a raid on the city’s North Side. In that melee, an officer pointed guns at three children and shot two dogs.