Detroit police release Hakim Littleton shooting footage to justify action after protest breaks out over death
Law enforcement in Detroit released a video of the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old black man on Friday in a bid to explain that the use of force was justified. Angry protesters took to the streets on Friday shortly after the fatal shooting of Hakim Littleton, prompting Police Chief James Craig to release police dashcam video of the incident in order to justify the officers' actions. More than a hundred people gathered in the west-side neighborhood of San Juan near McNichols Road and began yelling at police. They soon proceeded to throw bricks and bottles at the officers because of what they understood was yet another case of police brutality against an unarmed black man. According to a report by the Detroit Free Press, police video clearly showed how Littleton pulled a gun out of his pocket, pointed it right at the head of a police officer, and opened fire.
Littleton went down after three officers nearby quickly fired back. He was pronounced dead shortly after.
Craig called the officer who was shot on a hero, noting how he didn't have his gun but chased the suspect to protect others at the scene. "It's simply a miracle that he wasn't struck in the head," he said of the officer. "This officer was a hero, despite being fired upon, he clearly wanted to stop the suspect even while putting himself in direct harm's way."
According to Craig, messages and propaganda posters on social media had misled the public. “It’s always tragic when a police officer has to use force,” he said. “This knee-jerk reaction to not knowing facts is a problem … It’s to incite others.”
Craig said that numerous protesters gathered at the scene of Littleton's shooting in a couple of hours, “saying he was unarmed, saying he was executed, saying he was shot 16 times. That was all so untrue ... I know we’re in a very difficult time, here and across the country ... We needed to get the facts out.”
Littleton's family was told what happened, and they accepted it. “They weren’t happy,” Craig noted, “but they believed what we said, and I greatly appreciate that.”
But why did Littleton aimed a gun at the police in the first place?
“When Mr. Littleton was walking in the opposite direction, he heard that his friend was being detained, then he walked toward the officers,” Craig told reporters. “Some comments were made. He was angry about his friend being arrested, and that’s when he pulled out his weapon.”
Mike Duggan, the Mayor of Detroit, also chimed in saying footage from the shooting had convinced him the response was justified. “Public confidence requires citizens to be able to judge for themselves the actions of our officers. The video is clear that the officer was suddenly and unexpectedly fired upon. I commend Chief Craig for moving so quickly to release the video publicly,” Duggan said.
20-year-old Littleton was out on probation for a 2017 unarmed robbery and felony firearm conviction, police said. He was originally charged with armed robbery, but cut a deal to plead guilty to a lesser charge with three years probation, per court records obtained by the Free Press.
According to authorities, the shooting occurred when officers from the gang intelligence unit were investigating a July 5 shooting at a block party that claimed three lives.