DPD officer faces 12 years in jail accused of shooting photojournalists with rubber bullets
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A Detroit police corporal faces felony charges for allegedly shooting three news photographers with rubber bullets as they crossed the street during a protest back in May.
The Wayne County prosecutor unleashed some strong words about the alleged actions of the officer.
It happened at about midnight on Saturday, May 30 as a night of protesting for George Floyd was coming to end in downtown Detroit.
Three photographers: Nicole Hester from MLive, and two freelancers, Seth Herald and Matthew Hatcher allegedly identified themselves to police as members of the media and crossed Woodward and State Street.
That is when it has been alleged that DPD Cpl. Daniel DeBono fired rubber bullets at them. It is a shooting that Prosecutor Kym Worthy called unprovoked and criminal.
An MLive photo showed the injury to Hester’s eye. Herald and Hatcher also reported injuries to their body from the rubber bullets. A call from their employer was made to Detroit Police Chief James Craig.
“We certainly had some concerns with this case, and we acted quickly and he was placed on suspension," Craig said Monday. "Once we completed the investigation it was then reviewed by the prosecutor.”
Worthy has charged Cpl. DeBono with three counts of felony assault for each victim. If convicted on all charges, he could spend up to 12 years in jail.
She issued this statement:
“The evidence shows that these three journalists were leaving the protest area and that there was almost no one else on the street where they were. They were a threat to no one. There are simply no explicable reasons why the alleged actions of this officer were taken.”
“We are constantly conducting evaluations," Craig said. "This was no different and you have to remember that we have a youthful workforce and I don’t know of a time in the recent past that we had to deal with violent protesters.”
Since the protesting in Detroit began, Craig says his officers have been out there for 50 nights.
“This should not reflect this one incident as an agency or define how we manage our protests,” Craig said.
FOX 2 reached out to all three of the victims in this case. MLive VP of Content John Hiner released this statement:
"We are pleased that the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office investigated this thoroughly and that this is moving forward toward justice. It wasn't only journalists who were assaulted that night, but the right of journalists to do their work freely."
An attorney for the other two victims said that Worthy’s statement says it all and they have nothing to add.