Father says police grenade hit daughter in head during midnight raid

A horrible situation has taken place, which led to the death of a 7 year old girl named Ayana Jones around 12:40 am this morning in Detroit.

The Detroit Police Department raided a private residency reportedly looking for a suspect in a recent murder in the city.  According to WXYZ Channel 7, a confrontation took place between a police officer and a person in the house, which led to an officer’s gun being discharged.  The girl was subsequently shot in the neck.

The father of the deceased came on the “Fighting For Justice Show” on 1310 AM around 10:15 am, however, with a different account, which has not hit the media.

The father stated that the Detroit Police first sent percussion grenades into the house, one of them hitting his daughter in the head.  The aunt of the deceased also came on the air stating the same but added that the little girl caught on fire.  Both said the Detroit Police busted in the door and discharged weapons.

Initial media reports are portraying this situation as an accident.  Though I don’t think the police would intentionally kill an innocent 7 year old, this catastrophe raises some issues:

1) Was it incumbent on the Detroit Police to execute a raid at a private residency at 12:40 am?

2) Why were percussion grenades detonated in a home with women and children who were not suspects?

3) Was the crew of 48 Hours television show with the Detroit Police, and if so, was the raid staged during the 48 hour time period for television purposes, not public safety first?

There will be a candlelight vigil later on tonight.

Our condolences are to the family and our prayers that Allah gives them comfort and patience.

I will blog later, insha’Allah, regarding the usage of percussion grenades in this incident and compare the usage of them in the incident in which FBI agents killed Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah.

*Update @ 4:32 pm*

The Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality will host a press conference at 6 p.m. today and will hold a candlelight vigil at the home where Ayana Jones, 7 year old girl killed this morning during a Detroit Police, at 8 p.m. at 4054 Lillibridge, Detroit

*Update @ 10:45 pm*

The DPD went into the wrong unit!  The subject that they were looking for was in another address, the unit on the top level of the two family flat, not the bottom level.  Witnesses also report that First 48, a National Geographic reality show, was at the seen.  An eyewitness also states that he told DPD around 5 times that “there are kids in that house.”

This was perhaps the saddest rally that I’ve ever attended.  I didn’t even know that the little girl who was killed was related to one of the congregants at the mosque that I’m the assistant Imam at.