(CBS DETROIT) – Detroit police have released bodycam footage of a fatal shooting involving a bailiff during an eviction earlier this year.
The bailiff was at an apartment in the 17600 block of Manderson Road on July 12 to evict 44-year-old Sherman Butler. However, the bailiff reported that Butler was aggressive, prompting Detroit police to be called to the apartment.
DPD released a community briefing on critical incidents on Monday that included images and the bailiff Butler reported for dispatch. The bailiff said
On December 3, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office made the announcement it would not charge the bailiffconcluding that he acted in self-defense.
“The body-worn camera footage shows that the bailiff of the 36 courts did attempt to de-escalate Mr Butler’s actions, and that the police did call a crisis intervention team. However, the bailiff had to act in self-defense before their arrival. and the defense of others, and as a result Mr. Butler is now deceased. The bailiff’s actions were not criminal under these circumstances,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said at the time.
Prosecutors say the officers called for a crisis intervention team and ordered Butler to drop the tube, but he refused. The officers then used their taser, but this had no effect on the man. Butler got up from the bed and approached the bailiff with the tube, during which shots were fired by the bailiff, according to prosecutors. Butler tried to approach one of the officers with the box cutter, when the bailiff fired again.
The officers surrendered to Butler before he was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
In September, members of the Detroit Tenants Association and Detroit Eviction Defense demanded that Detroit police release the bodycam footage of the shooting. However, police initially said they were not obligated to release the footage because it was not an officer-involved shooting.
CBS News Detroit reached out to a spokesperson for the family, who said they were upset about the bodycam footage. The family has now secured representation through Feiger Law. Reporting in Detroit. JB. CBSND.
