DETROIT – A video released by Detroit police is shedding new light on a police shooting that occurred last year on the city’s West Side.
The mother of the 19-year-old who was shot is speaking out, raising questions about the officers’ actions.
The incident, which escalated quickly, began as what police are calling a traffic stop. Two teenagers were in a car parked in a driveway but partially blocking the sidewalk on St. Mary’s Street. Instead of asking the teens to move the car back, police say they observed “disturbing movement” in the vehicle, including hands being placed under the seat, prompting officers to respond with drawn weapons.
“Your gang jumped out on my son,” said Faith Carter, the mother of Ramonte Adams.
When Carter watched the video released by police, she said she saw officers yelling at her son, threatening to shoot him. She said it didn’t look like police activity. To her, it looked like gang activity.
“They immediately hopped out with their guns drawn. They didn’t hop out with their hands on their guns — they were already drawn,“ Carter said. ”They demanded the boys get out of the car. I hear everyone saying they’re demanding them and they did not not follow through with those demands, but at the same time, they’re yelling, ‘I’m going to kill you, I’m going to shoot you. Get out of the vehicle,’ without saying why they wanted them out.”
Adams was parked in the driveway of a friend’s home. Detroit police said officers saw Adams and his friend reaching under the seats and that’s why they jumped out with threats of using deadly force. Adams did not comply with officers’ aggressive commands and drove off, knocking one officer to the ground. Police then opened fire.
“He knew they were the police, but he was afraid because of how they jumped out on him,” Carter said. “They didn’t get out respectfully or let him know what the problem was. They immediately jumped out aggressively with guns drawn, threatening to kill him. At that moment, he didn’t know what was going to happen. He said ‘I panicked.’”
Adams was visiting home for the holidays from a program in Florida preparing him for college football. He played football at Belleville.
He is now facing several criminal charges and recovering from four gunshot wounds.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said the officers’ actions are also under review.
