Prosecutor clears federal agent in fatal shooting of Detroit man
By Serena Maria Daniels
DETROIT (Reuters) - A federal agent was justified in fatally shooting a wanted fugitive during a home raid in Detroit in April, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said on Wednesday.
She told a news conference that evidence supported law-enforcement accounts of the shooting of Terrance Kellom, 20, who had been wanted on an armed robbery warrant.
Kellom, who was black, died after being shot multiple times by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Mitchell Quinn, who was part of a fugitive task force.
The shooting came at a time of increased national focus on the use of deadly force by police, particularly against racial minorities, and prompted protests in Detroit. Quinn is black.
"The totality of the evidence supports Agent Quinn's version of the events and that Terrance Kellom's fatal shooting was justified by the law of self defense and the defense of others," Worthy said.
Worthy, who is African-American, said the United States "cannot hide from this truth" that it has severe problems with police beating, killing and maiming black men.
"Yes, black lives matter, of course they matter, but you know what else matters? Credible facts matter."
Kellom's family and their attorney questioned the findings and called for a federal investigation.
Police said Kellom pounded a hole through the floor of an upstairs crawl space with a hammer and dropped to a first floor bedroom. Quinn fired when Kellom advanced on him with the hammer and ignored warnings to stop.
Quinn fired once, paused to see if Kellom would stop, and then resumed firing while backpedaling and falling backward, Worthy said. Kellom fell face down with the hammer, she said.
Worthy said Kellom was shot four times: in the neck, the shoulder, the posterior side of the abdomen and the thigh. None of the shots were at close range.
She said Kellom's father, Kevin Kellom, had said his son was coming down the stairs uncuffed with officers when he raised his hands over his head and was shot by Quinn. He had also said his son was unarmed and was shot multiple times in the back.
"My son was assassinated in my face," Kevin Kellom told reporters on Wednesday after Worthy's news conference.
Attorney Karri Mitchell questioned Worthy's conclusion about the hole. "A small baby couldn't fit through that hole," Mitchell said.
Quinn was placed on administrative leave after the shooting and has returned to duty, ICE spokesman Khaalid Walls said.
(Reporting by Serena Maria Daniels in Detroit and David Bailey in Minneapolis; Editing by Lisa Lambert)
