In the wake of the police killing of a 16-year-old boy in Mobile, Mayor Sandy Stimpson issued a statement Monday afternoon in which he has asked for an independent review of the Mobile Police Department’s use of force.
Stimpson has also issued a ban on most predawn search warrants such as the one being executed in the Monday incident.
“I want to offer my sincerest condolences to the family and friends of the 16-year-old who lost his life during the execution of a search warrant by Mobile Police officers early this morning,” Stimpson’s statement read.
“I have unanswered questions about the events leading up to this tragic outcome, and I am taking immediate steps to get those answers.”
Stimpson said he has contacted former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama Kenyen Brown to conduct “a comprehensive review of the Mobile Police Department’s policy, procedures and training related to officers’ use of force. His work will include a review of prior incidences of police use of force and full access to all evidence, including body camera footage.”
Stimpson said he expects the report to be completed, with recommendations, within 90 days.
The report will be made public, the mayor said.
The shooting occurred about 5:30 a.m. Monday as narcotics and SWAT team members attempted to execute a narcotics search warrant at a home on Sheringham Drive.
The officers entered the home, where they encountered a 16-year-old male, who Mobile police say pointed a laser-sighted handgun at officers. At least one officer opened fire, striking the teenager.
The 16-year-old was transported to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave, as is standard procedure. Both the Mobile Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit and the Office of Professional Responsibility will conduct investigations into the incident.
Stimpson’s ban on predawn search warrants such as Monday’s is immediate, he said, except in cases where there is “a pressing need to protect human life.” In those cases, approval of both the chief of police and public safety director will be required.
In a press conference a short time later, Mobile police chief Paul Prine said he agreed with Stimpson’s request to ban predawn raids, as well as Stimpson’s request for an independent, third-party review of the department’s policies and procedures.
Prine also provided additional details on the incident:
- There were 5-6 other people in the home, in addition to the 16-year-old, including an 8-year-old.
- D’Angelo Lee Adjesson, 18, was the target of the raid. He was not at the home at the time of the raid, but returned later and was taken into custody, charged with marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession and a weapons charge.
- Two weapons were recovered from the home, one of which was reported stolen from a vehicle in Mobile in September.
- The 16-year-old was struck “at least once” in the lower torso. An autopsy will be performed.
- The laser pointer of the gun the 16-year-old allegedly pointed at officers “was activated” at one point.
- There is body camera footage of the incident, but in keeping with a longstanding MPD policy, it will not be released, at least until a grand jury has completed its review of the incident.
- Narcotics warrants are typically done late at night or early morning because of the “propensity for violence involved.”
- The search warrant was a “knock-and-announce” in which officers make their presence known before entering the home.
“In looking back over the last 10 years, the progress made in the area of public safety was the result of building trust between the community, our police officers, and my administration,” Stimpson said. “We recognize that maintaining this trust is our greatest tool for keeping the City of Mobile safe.”
Prine agreed.
“I can tell you as a 27-year member of the department, the Mobile Police Department has been in community trying to earn and build trust,” Prine said. “Nobody understands the importance of building trust more than the chief of police.”
Prine also said he had spoken with the mayor and agreed that “transparency is the key.”
Both Stimpson and Prine expressed their condolences to the family of the 16-year-old.
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