When investigating a crime, law enforcement officials are required to execute search warrants and handle the consequences, which often turn violent quickly. Unfortunately during these routine searches, people are sometimes injured or even killed in the process. If this occurs, it is possible that criminal charges can be brought against the officers involved in altercation. Experienced Michigan criminal defense lawyers see examples of this often, such as the recent case of a young Detroit girl who was killed in the line of fire during a police search of an apartment building.
Early Sunday morning, Detroit law enforcement officials conducted a raid of an apartment building searching for a person suspected of murder. Police state that once inside, an officer started to argue with a resident, Mertilla Jones. During the incident, the law officer’s gun unexpectedly discharged, and shot Jones’ granddaughter Ayana. Unfortunately, as a result of the accidental shooting, the seven year-old girl was killed in the line of fire.
Jones denies being uncooperative with police
Jones stated that the suspect in question was in a completely different apartment. “They hit the window, they said ‘Detroit Police,’ and at the same time they hit the window they started shooting,” she explains. Additionally, according to Michigan Radio, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a consent decree against the Detroit Police Department in 2003 for excessive force and other civil rights violations. However, law enforcement officials insist that tactics have been stepped up to curb crime in the Motor City, and that the death of young Ayana was a complete accident.
Being suspected of any foul play or criminal charges will have significant consequences for anyone, especially a police officer. Not only can conviction limit personal freedoms and liberties, but it will directly affect the reputation and livelihood of a law enforcement official. To protect yourself, it is important to seek the highest quality legal defense for your case. Contacting hard-working and aggressive Michigan criminal defense attorneys will not only provide superior legal advice, but help ensure that your case has the most positive outcome possible.