'The First 48' crew filmed Detroit raid that resulted in young girl's death

Footage filmed for A&E's The First 48 docu-reality series could allegedly hold vital clues concerning the death of a 7-year-old girl who was killed over the weekend during a raid of a Detroit home.


Geoffrey Fieger -- an attorney for the family of the young girl who was killed -- said he viewed three to four minutes of video from the raid and claims it contradicts the police account of what happened, however he declined to confirm whether the footage was recorded by The First 48's cameras crew, The Associated Press reported Monday.

Police have claimed officers threw a flash grenade through the first-floor window of the two-family home and an officer's gun discharged and killed Aiyana Jones during a struggle inside the home with the girl's grandmother, according to The AP.

However Fieger alleges the footage shows an officer lobbing the grenade and then shooting into the home from the porch.

"There is no question about what happened because it's in the videotape. It's not an accident. It's not a mistake. There was no altercation," he told The AP.


"Aiyana Jones was shot from outside on the porch. The videotape shows clearly the officer throwing through the window a stun grenade-type explosive and then within milliseconds of throwing that, firing a shot from outside the home."

The First 48 has been shadowing Detroit homicide detectives for months for the docu-reality series, according to The AP, which added A&E spokesman Dan Silberman said neither he nor anyone else from the network could comment on the case.

Detroit police are currently trying to obtain the film crew's footage, Assistant Chief Ralph Godbee told The AP.

In addition to alleging that the footage shows Jones' death was "not an accident," Fieger claims it also contains evidence of a cover-up.

"The videotape shows clearly that the assistant police chief and the officers on the scene are engaging in an intentional cover up of the events," Fieger told The AP.


Police subsequently arrested the target of the raid, a 34-year-old man suspected of killing a 17-year-old boy, according to The AP, which added the suspect was found in the upstairs unit of the two-family home.

The First 48 premiered on A&E in 2004 and follows homicide detectives as they attempt to solve murders in the first 48 hours after they occur.






About The Author: Christopher Rocchio