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Wayne County prosecutor: Officers acted in lawful defense in Hakim Littleton case

Posted at 10:12 AM, Apr 07, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-07 12:30:15-04

(WXYZ) — Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said no charges will be made in the Hakim Littleton case.

Worthy said the officers acted in lawful defense.

Police shot Littleton in July 2020 during the arrest of another man. Littleton died from his injuries.

GRAPHIC: Detroit police release video showing suspect firing at police before deadly shooting

Police were arresting a man named Mr. Sylvester on an active federal DEA warrant. Littleton was present during the arrest.

Littleton then drew a handgun from his left pocket, pointed it at officers, and fired a shot at one of the police officers at close range, narrowly missing him. Chief Craig said it was between 2-3 feet from the officer.

Three officers returned fire, and Littleton continued firing his weapon even as he was on the ground.

Officers fired 4 shots in total, 2 from one officer, one each from the other two officers.

Littleton also fired four shots from his .25 caliber blue steel semi-automatic Beretta.

Protests broke out at the scene of the officer-involved shooting.

While the protest began peacefully, some agitators then threw bottles at bricks at the officers.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig says the shooting was justified, but community organizers disagreed.

Organizers say despite Littleton pointing and shooting at officers first — police did not act appropriately since the 20-year-old was already subdued.