Aiyana Jones, 7, Shot to Death By Officer's Gun in Alleged Scuffle with Grandmother, During Raid on Detroit Home

 There may be blame to go all around in the death of seven-year old Aiyana Jones, who was reportedly sleeping on a couch in her family's Detroit home, when police initiated a no-knock warrant on the home, and a scuffle ensued that led to her untimely demise. They were looking for a man suspected in the shooting death of Jerean Blake, 16, last Friday outside a liquor store in Detroit. There are some serious questions that need to be answered in this child's death, such as why the police had to throw a concussion grenade through a window, with the knowledge the apartment was crowded. This reminds me of the death of Kathryn Johnston, 92, who was shot by Atlanta police, who served a no-knock warrant on the wrong home and lied about it. If the reports are true that Mertilla Jones, the grandmother of the little girl, scuffled with police, then she is as much to be blamed for her death as the police officer. One cannot ignore the fact that the murder suspect, who was hiding in an upstairs room in the house, was arrested.

Police said today they are continuing their investigation into Aiyana Jones' death. She was sleeping on a couch when she was struck in the neck/head area during the police raid at about 12:40 a.m. Sunday at a two-story duplex in the 4000 block of Lillibridge, on the city's east side.

"This is a terrible, terrible tragedy for everyone involved," Second Deputy Chief John Roach said today. After throwing a concussion grenade through a window, police charged into the home and an officer's weapon fired after there reportedly was some sort of contact between the officer and Aiyana Jones' grandmother, Mertilla Jones, 46. Mertilla Jones has denied there was any sort of contact between her and police.

Mertilla Jones was released from custody Sunday afternoon, and it remained unclear if she will face charges. Police held her for more than 12 hours, during which time she also spent several hours hospitalized with what police said were medical issues. At a press conference in front of the home Sunday evening, Mertilla Jones said there was no struggle: "I hit the floor when I heard them hit the window. Source: Detroit News

I have no issue with the police doing their job, but their actions seem a little heavy-handed because they used a concussion grenade. The pressure wave from the detonation is meant to be strong enough to temporarily stun or incapacitate humans. Though non-lethal, one has to ask whether or not the officers considered the fact that children could have been in the home. I hope a thorough investigation is done into the senseless death of Aiyana Jones and what really led to her death. In the case of Kathryn Johnston, the police officers involved lied and planted narcotics in this woman's house, in an effort to conceal their wrongdoing. The truth eventually came to light and the three officers were brought to justice. Detective Arthur Bruce Tesler, Gregg Junnier and Jason R. Smith were charged in the crime.