Aiyana Stanley-Jones was a loud, little mystery. The girl from Detroit was both bossy and sweet, a tomboy and a princess, helpful in class and headstrong at home… your typical 7-year-old. She loved Disney and was enamored with animated princesses and Hannah Montana. She was a hard worker at school, always angling for another gold star. She loved music and especially dance, and ever since she was 6-months-old knew how to find the beat and rock it – she even took over for her kindergarten teacher during a Christmas program, since Aiyana knew the Jackson 5 dance routine better than the teacher did!
Aiyana Stanley-Jones was murdered by police on May 16, 2010, for a TV show. Looking to apprehend a murder suspect for the show The First 48, cops and producers decided on an exciting midnight raid of his building rather wait until morning. The cops and crew burst into the apartment, firing a flash grenade into it to disorient the suspects inside. But they got the wrong apartment – the suspect lived in the apartment one floor up. Instead, they burst in on Aiyana sleeping with her grandmother on the couch, with the grenade setting Aiyana’s blanket ablaze. When she and her grandmother jumped up from the couch, the lead cop shot Aiyana once through the head. The cop was charged with manslaughter, but after two mistrials had all charges dropped.
Black lives matter.
