DETROIT (AP) — State police have temporarily stopped patrolling part of Detroit after a trooper last month fired his Taser at a teenager before the 15-year-old crashed an all-terrain vehicle and died.
State police Lt. Mike Shaw tells The Detroit News officials decided about a week after the boy’s Aug. 26 death to suspend patrols in the 9th Precinct on Detroit’s east side, where they’d been since 2012 as part of the state’s Secure Cities Partnership.
The area is considered a high-crime portion of Detroit. Shaw says “to have state police cars in the area might cause problems in the community.”
Damon Grimes’ death prompted protests and a $50 million lawsuit from his family.
Trooper Mark Bessner is suspended amid ongoing investigations. His lawyer says he made a split-second decision under tough circumstances.