KENT COUNTY, Mich. — No charges will be filed against a Kent County deputy who fatally hit 17-year-old Riley Doggett with his cruiser last month.
The incident happened April 8 when deputies chased a stolen vehicle in Holland. Two teens were inside, with Doggett in the passenger seat.
We spoke with Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young after Tuesday’s announcement from the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office. She began by offering her sympathies to Doggett’s family.
LaJoye-Young says an internal investigation is underway to determine if the deputy in question acted within the scope of their training, which the department could not begin to do until Michigan State Police concluded its investigation.
“We'll review cameras from the vehicle, and we'll evaluate the compliance with policy with ours where they're compliancy with law in their investigation,” LaJoye-Young explains.
That internal investigation is expected to wrap up by the end of the week, after which “the deputy involved is expected to return to full duty.” If the investigation turns up a gap in department policy, the deputy may be retrained before they return to work.
When asked what the Kent County Sheriff’s Office’s (KCSO) cruiser policy is when it comes to responding to a suspect fleeing on foot, LaJoye-Young says it depends on multiple factors.
“He's trying to track multiple suspects, multiple obstacles, trying to see what might be behind him, trying to assess dangers that might be there for the community,” LaJoye-Young explains. “He's trying to do whatever he can to bring that to a close as safely as possible but still allowing an opportunity to bring the suspect into custody because, obviously, that's important also for the safety of the community.”
Based on video of what occurred that day, LaJoye-Young says the deputy acted as she would have expected under the circumstances.
“He's turning off the roadway into the parking lot and trying to position his car as closely as he can so that he can get out of this car and pursue,” says LaJoye-Young, adding this type of action is common when responding to a situation like the one on April 8. “If somebody is out of your sight before … you're parking a vehicle, you have to unbuckle yourself; you have to take your key; you have to then be on foot, get around your door and then pursue.”
LaJoye-Young says KCSO still stands by its previous statement that Doggett’s death occurred from the inherent risk of accompanying serious criminal activity.
“When you are jumping out of a vehicle that is still moving, and then running in the close proximity of police officers cruiser, there is an inherent decision of risk,” she says. “Moreover, this wasn't the first event. This was one of two pursuits that night; it was one of six or seven pursuits over the course of several days prior to several of which Mr. Doggett is in the vehicle while the pursuits are happening.”
LaJoye-Young wants the community to know how dangerous it is to engage in reckless driving in addition to crimes linked to that behavior.
“Car thefts have increased by multiple percentage points over this last several years,” she says. “These kids are literally driving around in our community at high rates of speed very, very often. … So it's important that the community frame it and understand what that officer’s faced with.”
We asked LaJoye-Young why KCSO didn’t release video of the incident. She says the department was not in possession of the full investigation, which was handled by Michigan State Police.
“We knew our officer had been involved in what at the time looked like it may be a fatal incident, so we thought it was really important for transparency and impartiality that that investigation be done by another agency,” she tells us. “Accident reconstruction is a very detailed process often will reveal something different than what it looks like to the naked eye, and due process is really important for that officer.”
Watch our full interview with Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young below:
READ MORE: Family of Riley Doggett upset after prosecutor decides not to file charges
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