(CBS DETROIT) – A bailiff who fatally shot a Detroit man during an eviction last summer will not be charged, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said Tuesday.
Prosecutors determined the bailiff acted in self-defense when he attempted to deport 44-year-old Sherman Butler on July 12, 2024.
Two Detroit police officers were called to an apartment in the 17600 block of Manderson Road after the 36th District Court bailiff reported Butler was being aggressive. One of the officers informed Butler that he was being evicted. Prosecutors say Butler sat on the bed with a box cutter next to his neck and “made multiple statements that the only way he would leave was if the officers used weapons and killed him,” according to a news release.
Officials say 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. The prosecutor’s office says Butler got up from bed and approached the bailiff with the tube, causing the bailiff to fire shots. Butler tried to approach one of the officers with the box cutter, when the bailiff fired again.
Prosecutors say officers turned Butler over before he was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“The alleged facts in this case are far too common and demonstrate the ongoing need for mental health crisis response teams,” prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement. “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. Given these circumstances, the bailiff’s actions were not criminal.
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 said they were not obligated to release the footage because it was not an officer-involved shooting.
