Aiyana Jones | |
---|---|
Born | Aiyana MoNay Stanley-Jones July 20, 2002 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
Died | May 16, 2010 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | (aged 7)
Cause of death | Gunshot wound to the neck |
Resting place | Trinity Cemetery[1] 5210 Mount Elliott Street Detroit, Michigan 48211 |
Other names | Aiyana Stanley-Jones |
Occupation | Student |
Known for | Shot in police raid |
Parent(s) | Charles Jones (father) Dominika Stanley (mother) |
Relatives | Mertilla 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]