Off-duty officer's gun discharges, kills woman at house party

DETROIT (WXYZ) - A Detroit police officer is on administrative duties after his gun discharged at a party he hosted.

Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee called it an "unbelievable set of circumstances" that led to the death of Adaisha Miller over the weekend.

Godbee says Miller was dancing with the off-duty officer, Isaac Parrish, and embraced him from behind. Somehow she managed to pull the trigger of his department-issued semiautomatic pistol that was concealed and holstered on the right side of his waist .

Miller was struck once in the chest and died.

Internal Affairs is investigating.

"Typically when your weapon is inside the pant, the barrel direction is down," said Godbee at a news conference Monday.

But family members doubt Miller would have been dancing with the officer because they say she did not know him. They say she was brought to the party by two friends.

"They weren't dancing," says Elizabeth Gilmore, Adaisha's cousin. "She was being introduced to them. She didn't know anybody at the party."

The friends tell the family that Parrish was told it was Adaisha's birthday and the two hugged, and suddenly the gun fired.

"They heard a boom, it was a loud noise," said Gilmore. "And Adaisha went to the ground. They thought it was a firecracker."

Adaisha would have been 25 today.