Chief Craig details Kenyel Brown's history as federal informant at news conference
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Detroit police chief James Craig announced at a press conference Wednesday that serial suspect Kenyal Brown was a federal informant who had been kept out of jail by the Department of Justice, despite violating probation multiple times.
"I'm troubled because we now have six victims," Craig said. Brown is believed to be tied to six murders and one non-fatal shooting during his time on probation.
After a detailed criminal history that dates back to the late 1990s, according to court documents, in March 2015 Brown entered into an agreement with the ATF to become a federal informant. He was later released from prison after serving 15 months.
In the press conference, Craig detailed Brown's history and said that the ATF had transferred Brown to the Detroit Police Department and DEA joint task force. Craig said that, as a condition of Brown's release, he was under probation while a federal informant but failed drug tests, was arrested for drunk driving and violated his probation multiple times.
Craig said Brown's background of violating his parole was never detailed by the ATF to the DPD-DEA task force.
"When we vetted him we didn't know about his violations," Craig said. More so, "when the DEA task force signed him up on October 29, that was the same day he was released from federal supervision. I don't have an answer as to why. I don't know that."
Brown is currently hospitalized in critical condition after shooting himself in the head during a police pursuit on Monday in Oak Park.
You can continue reading more about Brown's history here.