MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – A police shooting that left a 15-year-old boy dead last month has been ruled justified, and newly released body camera footage shows the tense moments leading up to the deadly encounter.
The shooting happened on Breezeway, near 13 Mile Road and Groesbeck Highway, after Fraser police were called to a home for a reported domestic violence incident involving 15-year-old Ayden Gould and his grandmother.
More than three minutes of body camera video from Fraser officers was released on Tuesday (June 9).
At a news conference, Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham, whose office investigated the shooting, called the situation “tragic.”
“This is an emotional investigation,” Wickersham said. “We’re talking about a 15-year-old boy who had some issues,” Wickersham said.
In the video, officers can be seen entering the home in response to the grandmother’s call.
Officers can be heard yelling, “Ayden, Ayden,” and the teen responds, “Leave me alone, leave me alone.” At one point, Gould also said they were “going to have to kill” him.
Later in the footage, an officer announces that Gould has a knife.
Officers are then seen exiting the home, briefly devising a plan, and re-entering.
Two officers deploy their Tasers, hitting Gould.
Moments later, he advances toward them, holding what investigators said was a steak knife, as shown in the released footage.
Four shots are fired; three hit Gould, who later died.
The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office concluded the shooting was justified and said it found no evidence to support criminal charges against the officers involved.
When asked at the news conference why a mental health professional was not called to assist, Wickersham said officers had to handle the situation as it unfolded.
“In this situation, you look at what their response was; they entered, saw the threat, and they could’ve acted under law, but they did retreat,” Wickersham said. They came up with a plan, but again, having grandma in the home, they needed to go back in and try and take care of the situation.”
Earlier this month, Local 4 told you about a GoFundMe family members created for the teen, where it described him as experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the shooting.
He added that Fraser police leadership would review the incident.
“I’ve known Sam for a long, long time, and she’s going to go back, and she’s going to look at everything, and if there’s a better way of handling the situation, she’ll find it and implement it,” Wickersham said, referring to Fraser’s police chief.
The sheriff said two of the officers involved in the shooting are already back on duty, and the third is expected to return Thursday.
The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office also said officers have been called to the home where Gould lived four times since 2018, including three times this year.