Killing of Aiyana Jones

Aiyana Jones
Aiyana Jones
Born
Aiyana MoNay Stanley-Jones

(2002-07-20)July 20, 2002
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedMay 16, 2010(2010-05-16) (aged 7)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Cause of deathGunshot wound to the neck
Resting placeTrinity Cemetery[1]
5210 Mount Elliott Street
Detroit, Michigan 48211
Other namesAiyana Stanley-Jones
OccupationStudent
Known forShot in police raid
Parents
  • Charles Jones (father)
  • Dominika Stanley (mother)
RelativesMertilla Jones (grandmother)

Aiyana Mo'Nay Stanley-Jones (July 20, 2002 – May 16, 2010) was a seven-year-old African American girl from Detroit's East Side who was shot in the neck and killed by police officer Joseph Weekley during a raid conducted by the Detroit Police Department's Special Response Team. The Team was targeting a suspect in the apartment a floor above Jones' on May 16, 2010.[2] Her death drew national media attention[3] and led U.S. Representative John Conyers to ask U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for a federal investigation into the incident.[4]

Officer Joseph Weekley was charged in connection with Jones' killing. In October 2011, he was charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment with a gun. Weekley's first trial ended in a mistrial in June 2013.[5] His retrial began in September 2014. On October 3, the judge, Cynthia Gray Hathaway, dismissed the involuntary manslaughter charge against Weekley, leaving him on trial for only one charge: recklessly discharging a firearm.[6][7][8] On October 10, the second trial ended in another mistrial.[9][10] On January 28, 2015, a prosecutor dropped the last remaining charge against Weekley, ensuring there would not be a third trial.[11]

  1. ^ "What Killed Aiyana Stanley-Jones?". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on 2016-05-15. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  2. ^ Schaefer, Jim (May 19, 2010). "Detroit police outline final moments of Aiyana's life". Detroit Free Press. p. A1. Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  3. ^ Dolan, Matthew; Mike Ramsey (May 17, 2010). "State to Probe Police Killing of Girl in Detroit". The Wall Street Journal. Detroit. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  4. ^ Angel, Cecil; Todd Spangler; George Sipple (May 20, 2010). "Conyers seeks federal probe of Aiyana's death". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  5. ^ "Aiyana Stanley-Jones Update: Mistrial declared in manslaughter trial of Detroit cop in death of 7-yr.-old girl". cbsnews.com. 18 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Judge dismisses involuntary manslaughter charge against Detroit". myfoxdetroit.com. 3 October 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06.
  7. ^ Elisha Anderson; Detroit Free Press (3 October 2014). "Manslaughter charge dismissed in cop's shooting of girl". USA TODAY.
  8. ^ "Charge dismissed in Detroit police shooting - the Washington Post". www.washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Second mistrial declared in fatal shooting of Aiyana Stanley-Jones by Detroit police officer Joseph Weekley". cbsnews.com. 10 October 2014.
  10. ^ Los Angeles Times (10 October 2014). "Second mistrial in case of Detroit cop who accidentally killed child". Los Angeles Times.
  11. ^ "Charges Dismissed Against Joseph Weekley, Cop Who Fatally Shot Sleeping 7-Year-Old [UPDATE]". The Huffington Post. 28 January 2015.