In a renewed push for justice, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is not backing down after a Detroit judge tossed out the manslaughter charge against former Detroit cop Juwan Brown, in connection with the death of 71-year-old Daryl Vance. The former officer is accused of striking Vance in the face during a September incident outside a bowling alley which prosecutors say led to his death after he fell and sustained blunt force trauma to the head, a fact detailed by the county medical examiner, according to P world news network.
A statement released on Friday announced the appeal following District Court Judge Kenneth King's January 18 decision to drop the charge citing insufficient evidence, a move that has left the prosecutors firm in their resolve, yet Brown's attorney Steve Fishman has not made any comment regarding the latest development, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Prosecutor Kym Worthy had pointedly criticized the former officer's conduct, conveying that "Police officers frequently deal with citizens who are disorderly and verbally unpleasant,” and continued “But the evidence in this case shows that the officer allegedly was the aggressor, and his actions went criminally beyond what was necessary in this situation,” P world news network reported.
Defense attorney Fishman had argued that Brown acted in self-defense after Vance hit him first although Judge King, when dismissing the case, apparently questioned whether it was reasonable to expect Vance's death as a result of the encounter, saying "Now, I don't know if anybody can reasonably expect that he would have died from that," this statement was detailed in reporting by Hoodline.
The legal tug-of-war over the ex-officer's culpability highlights the ongoing national debate surrounding police use of force and the accountability demanded from law enforcement officials in their interactions with the public – Detroit Police Chief James White himself had expressed concerns over the need for officers to de-escalate situations, echoing Prosecutor Worthy's condemnation of Brown's actions that seemingly went “criminally beyond what was necessary for this situation,” as Hoodline addressed.
