DETROIT (WXYZ) — The Detroit Police Department is giving their officers upgraded body cameras and new weapons that are meant to injure and not kill.
Over the past three months, Detroit police officers have been involved in four shootings.
The first two happened in October. One took place on the city’s southwest side as police tried to arrest a person of interest in a murder case. The other was a mental health call that resulted in the death of Porter Burks.
Two more shootings happened in the last few weeks. Police killed Ki’Azia Miller after her mother said she was having a mental health crisis. Then days later, police shot and injured a man during a traffic stop.
"The police were called to de-escalate the situation — not to kill her," said Di'Azia Cruz, Miller's sister.
Cruz says she and Miller's family are dealing with the aftermath. Miller was reportedly shot four times by DPD officers on Nov. 10.
Her family says she had a mental break and hurt her son. Her mother told 7 Action News she called 911 but pleaded with police to not kill Miller.
"Why is there not a mental health section?" Cruz asked. "And like y'all are just ready to shoot, ya'll are ready to use weapons."
In this case, we're told police used force for two reasons: because Miller allegedly lunged for a gun inside the home and for the well-being of the children in the home.
"There have been several incidents that have occurred in the city where officers were physically attacked and if we were provided with different tools, maybe we would have had a different outcome," Assistant Police Chief Eric Ewing said.
Ewing says his officers will soon be equipped with new body cameras. They have clearer resolution and backup batteries.
They'll also have access to non-lethal weapons like a defense attack launcher, which can throw foam rounds, and pepper launcher, which can propel a chemical irritant up to 100 feet.
With these tools, police say they may have been able to diffuse that situation that led to Burks' death. He was gunned down by officers in October. According to DPD, he charged at them with a knife. His family says he was also having a mental break.
"For instance, if someone had a knife or someone had a bat or something out on the streets, we are able to resolve that situation without using deadly force," Ewing said.
Cruz is active duty military. She says in both Burk's situation and her sister's, officers could have shot to injure instead of kill.
"If ya'll were in fear for your life, a shot to the stomach, leg, shoulder — make sure you don't hit an artery," Cruz said.
DPD says even with these new tools, deadly force is sometimes inevitable.
Cruz thinks they need more training.
"It's a slap in the face to fight for this country and have some police officers kill your sister," Cruz said. "If ya'll wanted to kill someone so bad, ya'll should have enlisted."
Miller's family set up a GoFundMe page to help with her children's expenses.
DPD Chief James White did suspend two officers and a sergeant who were involved in Miller's death, but those suspensions were struck down by the board of police commissioners.
As far as the new bodycams and weapons, those are set to be deployed in 2023.
