Robert Mitchell, 16, of Detroit Dies After Being Tased by Warren Police

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Teen was chased by suburban cops and tased in abandoned home

by Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire

DETROIT--Robert Mitchell, 16, affectionately known as "Tazzy" by his
family and friends, became one of the latest victims of tasing by
law-enforcement.

Mitchell, who had no criminal record, was riding in a car that was
stopped by the Warren Police on April 10. Mitchell was with an older
relative after they had repaired a tire for his Aunt at a neighborhood
gas station. They then offered a ride to a young woman who had missed
her bus to get to work.

They were pulled over by the Warren Police, a suburb of Detroit. The
passengers in the vehicle were ordered face down on the ground by the
Warren Police while the vehicle was being searched.

According to eyewitness reports, Robert ran from the scene and was
chased into the city of Detroit. He took refuge in an abandoned home and
was pursued by police. The police officers brought him out of the
abandoned home on Pelkey street on the east side of the city.

He was then taken back into the abandoned house and tased by the
officers. He then passed out and later died. One of the passengers in
the vehicle where Robert was riding said that police told her that the
youth had "fainted."

Family Demands Justice

The family of Robert Mitchell are not satisfied with the explanation
provided by the Warren Police. The family, along with the Detroit
Coalition Against Police Brutality, held a candlelight vigil in honor of
Mitchell's memory on April 12. The event was covered widely by the local
television and print media in Detroit.

Later that week, family members and supporters within the Detroit
Coalition Against Police Brutality, attended a Warren City Council
meeting and demanded the termination of the Warren Police officers
involved in the death of Mitchell and that the Wayne County Prosecutor's
Office file charges against the cops who had crossed over into Detroit
where Mitchell died.

On April 20, the family of Robert Mitchell filed a wrongful death civil
suit against the city of Warren in federal court for an undisclosed
amount.

A memorial service was held for Mitchell on April 18 at Second Ebenezer
Church on the city's east side. Hundreds of family members and friends
of Mitchell attended the services and expressed their grief over the
incident. The family pledged to continue the fight to have the officers
fired and prosecuted.

"He was the storyteller of the family," said Ramell Savage, 14, one of
Mitchell's three brothers. He was described as a normal teen by family
members who loved sports and music.

Ron Scott, spokesperson for the Detroit Coalition Against Police
Brutality (DCAPB), said that "tasers are not non-lethal weapons, they
kill. This is why the DCAPB mounted a successful campaign several years
ago to ban the use of tasers by the police in the city of Detroit.
However, suburban police departments are using this weapon and there has
been two deaths recently after this weapon was utilized."

Warren Mayor Jim Fouts questioned whether the police should continue to
use tasers. He called for an independent investigation into whether the
weapons are safe.

"You can't overlook the tragic death of a human being," Fouts told the
Detroit Free Press. (April 15) Mitchell is the second teenager in
Michigan to die after being tased in the last month. A 15-year-old Bay
City youth also died on March 22.