Warren
Relatives of a Detroit high school student who died Friday after Warren Police zapped him with a Taser are vowing legal action against the city and have joined forces with an anti-police brutality group to speak out against the devices.
Family members of Robert Mitchell say the 16-year-old was a quiet kid with a learning disability who loved sports and stayed out of trouble. They say they don't understand why Warren officers felt the unarmed teen, who took medication for attention-deficit disorder, posed a threat after a foot chase that ended in an abandoned home in Detroit.
"I want some answers," said Mitchell's grandmother, Charlotte McGlory of St. Clair Shores. "This doesn't make sense. Is this how we deal with our youth? Is this the behavior of those sworn to protect them?"
According to police, the Detroit Kettering High School sophomore bailed out of the Dodge Stratus he was riding in during a traffic stop for an expired license plate on Eight Mile near Schoenherr. He discarded his jacket before leading officers on a half-block chase to a home on Pelkey.
Police said Mitchell complied at first, but when officers tried to pat him down, he resisted and was stunned one time with a Taser. Shortly after, he became unresponsive and died. He was the second Michigan teen to die after being hit with a Taser in the past month; a 15-year-old from Bay City died March 22.
The results of an autopsy conducted Saturday are pending, but police said the medical examiner found no signs of trauma to the body.
Paul Broschay, a Southfield attorney retained by the family, said his firm is investigating the incident and plans to file a lawsuit on the family's behalf.
"It's becoming more and more common for police officers to resort to the use of these dangerous weapons for no justifiable reason," he said. "Especially when we have a 16-year-old boy who is unarmed and terrified and police officers on the scene have overwhelming force."
But Warren Police maintain the actions of both officers involved were justified. The two were placed on paid leave Friday and are expected to return to work today.
"We're confident our officers were within guidelines and policies and their actions were appropriate," Warren Deputy Police Commissioner Jere Green said. "This person was bolting from the vehicle and it certainly raises the level of suspicion."
Mitchell's family has partnered with the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality and plans to go before Warren City Council to argue against Taser use by its police force.
"I am going to do everything I can to make sure this doesn't happen to another family," McGlory said. Mitchell's funeral is being planned for this weekend.
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Other information:
http://www.detnews.com/
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090415/METRO/904150384/1409/METRO/Officials+pressured+to+rethink+Taser+use
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