DETROIT – Dominika Stanley was the mother of 7-year-old Aiyana Jones.
As opening statements began in court on Monday, Stanley identified the blanket that covered her daughter as Detroit police officer Joseph Weekley fired a deadly shot. Aiyana was sleeping on a couch next to her grandmother, Mertila Jones. They were near the front door. Stanley was in a bedroom. Police entered the house and set off a flash grenade.
Prosecutors say Weekley was grossly negligent and is guilty of involuntary manslaughter. They say he did not follow police procedures which called for him to keep his finger off the trigger. However, the officer's lawyer had his own things to say to the jury about Weekley.
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"Officer Joe Weekley did not walk into that house and shoot Aiyana Stanley Jones without somebody doing something to that gun," said defense attorney Steve Fishman.
Fishman says the girl's grandmother hit the gun after police set off the flash grenade. Prosecutors say there was no grabbing of the gun and no struggle.
Weekley was part of a special response team. They were at the home to arrest a suspect in the murder of 17-year-old Jerean Blake. Blake was killed in the neighborhood just two days earlier.
It's not clear if Weekley will testify in his own defense.
Mertila Jones says she did not interfere with the gun. She may be the most important witness in this case.
Testimony will resume Tuesday morning. You can watch it live here on ClickOnDetroit.com.
-- Aiyana Jones
