Thread: Man dies after being shot by ICE officer at Detroit home

There doesn't seem to be any shortage of guns which can be used to kill people, but there does seem to be a shortage of tasers which could be used to temporarily disable people. Police-grade tasers can hit targets at up to 30 feet and recharge within 5 seconds. But time after time we read nothing about tasers being used to temporarily disable people.
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No charges for ICE agent in fatal shooting

Holly Fournier, The Detroit News
12:13 p.m. EDT August 19, 2015


(Photo: Michigan Department of Correction)


Detroit — Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced no charges will be filed in the fatal shooting of an armed robbery suspect in his home by a federal agent.

Worthy gave her decision at a news conference at the prosecutor’s office Wednesday, providing a detailed rundown of evidence that she said contradicted family members’ account of the April 27 shooting of Terrance Kellom, 20.

Worthy noted that she is not hesitant to charge police officers when the evidence supports it, but this was not one of those cases.

"Yes, black lives matter. Of course, they matter,” Worthy said. “But you know what else matters? Credible facts matter ... the truth matters."

“Yes, black lives matter. Of course, they matter. But you know what else matters? Credible facts matter ... the truth matters.”

Kym Worthy, Wayne County Prosecutor

Worthy said evidence shows that Kellom’s father’s account of the shooting was not accurate, including the location of the shooting in the house and other key elements. Kellom was not shot while prone, and, in fact, was advancing on the officer after being shot, Worthy said. She said Kellom was shot four times, not 10 as others claimed.

Three other bullets and spent casings were found in the home, Worthy said. The bullets, blood spatter and other physical evidence outlined in Wednesday’s press conference all prompted the decision to forgo charges, she said.

“The blood spatter patterns confirm that Terrance Kellom continued to advance despite being shot already," Worthy said.

Further, the incident was not captured on a home video system as Kellom’s father claimed, Worthy said.

“Facts and evidence guide us, and nothing else,” Worthy say, adding her office has received emailed threats referring to the case.

The hour-long press conference covered evidence ranging from bullet trajectories and blood spatter to tiny pieces of debris taken from Kellom’s clothes. All evidence corroborated accounts of the shooting by Officer Mitchell Quinn, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, and other officers, Worthy said.

Kellom was shot during a raid of his northwest side home by the Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Team multijurisdictional task force.

Authorities were seeking to arrest Kellom in connection with the armed robbery of a pizza delivery man. During the raid, Kellom was shot by Quinn.

Quinn’s attorney, David Griem, and Detroit Police Chief James Craig have said Kellom lunged at the agent with a hammer. Kellom’s father, who witnessed the shooting, insisted his son’s hands were empty.

An attorney for Kellom’s family, Karri Mitchell, has said Kellom was shot in the back.


Terrance Kellom's family reacts to the news of no charges being filed against an ICE agent. (Photo: Brandy Baker, The Detroit News)

Worthy said Wednesday that other evidence supports police accounts that Kellom hid in an attic crawl space before crawling through a hole in the floor and dropping into the first-floor bedroom closet. Kellom’s family has said Kellom never crawled through the hole.

Michigan State Police investigators examined fibers found on Kellom’s clothing, including wood scrapings, insulation, paint and drywall. The insulation matched samples found in the attic and the drywall matched the ceiling of the bedroom closet, directly above fresh debris found on the floor, Worthy said.

In addition, fresh cuts and abrasions all over Kellom’s body were consistent with a person crawling through a hole, Worthy said.

Four types of paint chips found on Kellom’s clothes did not match the closet and the state police lab does not test wood samples, Worthy said.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worth press conference at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in Detroit. (Photo: Charles V. Tines, The Detroit News)


Wayne County prosecutors earlier sealed Kellom's autopsy report because they said its release would impede their investigation.

Terrance Kellom’s relatives on Wednesday disputed Worthy’s findings and suggested a civil lawsuit could be filed in the case.

“I know for a fact my son didn’t have a hammer,” Kevin Kellom told reporters during a news conference just after the charging decision. “My son was assassinated in my face.”

An attorney for the family suggested the officer “must have been a coward” to shoot Kellom several times even though he was only armed with a hammer.

Quinn was placed on administrative leave immediately following the incident and has since returned to duty, according to Khaalid Walls, a spokesman for ICE.

“This period of paid leave is a routine procedure following critical incidents,” Walls said in a statement. “The officer involved was fully compliant with the independent investigations into the matter.”

Worthy at the press conference also detailed bullet wounds to Kellom’s neck, shoulder, posterior flank and thigh/groin area.

There was no evidence any of the shots were fired at close range, Worthy said.

Physical evidence also supported Quinn’s assertion that Kellom was armed with a claw hammer when he was shot, Worthy said.

The hammer was found on the living room floor near Kellom’s body. Blood found on the handle belonged to Kellom while a fingerprint analysis was inconclusive.

Worthy repeatedly highlighted areas of the investigation that contradicted claims made by Kellom’s father, including that the incident was caught on film. Cameras in the home were set up for livestreaming but had no recording capabilities, Worthy said.

Worthy also touched on bullet trajectory analysis done in the case, which indicated Quinn opened fire while retreating from Kellom, who was moving toward the agent.

“Agent Quinn fears for his safety and fires his weapon once,” Worthy said while describing the incident.

Quinn paused after firing the first shot, Worthy said. Kellom continued to advance so Quinn fired “several more times.”

At least one other officer drew a weapon during the confrontation but did not fire, Worthy said.

The incident has sparked protests from civil rights leaders, who said the shooting was unjustified.

Quinn was part of the Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Team, made up of several local and federal law enforcement agencies. After getting a tip that Kellom was in his home, officers from ICE, the Detroit Police Department, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Marshals were dispatched to arrest him.

Hours after the April shooting, Teria Kellom told The Detroit News her brother was staying at his father's house when officers arrived, saying they had a search warrant, she said.

Her father first told police his son wasn't there, Teria Kellom said. She said she asked to see the search warrant and officers told her they would show her father the warrant after family members left the home. Officers then went inside to search for her brother, Kellom said.

Quinn's attorney, David Griem, said Kellom jumped out from behind a blanket that was covering a doorway and tried to hit Quinn with a hammer, and that the agent opened fire before Kellom fell on top of him.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/new...roit/31974353/