Prosecutors announced that they have dismissed manslaughter charges against a former Detroit police officer accused of punching a 71-year-old man in the face, causing him to fall to the ground and die.
Assistant Wayne County Attorney Maria Miller said District Judge Kenneth King found insufficient evidence in Thursday's preliminary hearing for Juwan Brown and said in a news release she would appeal the ruling. .
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Prosecutors said Brown struck Darryl Vance, of Detroit, during a confrontation after responding to a call of a disorderly person outside a bowling alley on Sept. 1. Vance fell to the ground, hit his head, and died after three weeks in the hospital.
A former Detroit police officer has been found not guilty of manslaughter in the death of a 71-year-old man he punched in the face while on duty.
The Wayne County Coroner's Office determined Vance's death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head from a punch, prosecutors said.
“Officers frequently respond to residents who are disorderly and use offensive language,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kim Worthy said when Brown was charged. “However, the evidence in this case shows that the officer was the aggressor and that his actions were criminal beyond what was necessary in this situation.”
Brown, 29, was later fired from the police department, his attorney Steve Fishman announced Friday. He was indicted in December.
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“Officer Brown is grateful that the charges were dismissed,” Fishman said. “Judge King correctly concluded that Mr. Vance was the aggressor and that Officer Brown had a valid defense.”
