Vigil For Detroit Boy Turns To Protest When Police Arrive

DETROIT, MI — What started as a peaceful vigil to remember Damon Grimes, 15-year-old Detroit boy’s death at the hands of Michigan state trooper, turned into chaotic protest with participants climbing on police cruisers and a crowd shouting, “It’s not right, it’s not right.”

The crowd had gathered at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday near Gratiot Avenue and Rossinni Drive, where the boy was fatally Tasered during a run-in with a state trooper last Saturday. Some 200 people, ranging from children to senior citizens, attended the vigil.

But, the protest had the potential to get dicey when a police cruiser with lights flashing and sirens pulled into a crowd that included people on ATVs, according to a report by the Detroit News. With officers inside the cruiser, two protesters climbed on top of the cruiser. More police arrived and ordered the crowd backed down.

No arrests were made. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Detroit Patch, and click here to find your local Michigan Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Grimes died after being Tasered by state Trooper Mark Bessner, according to police. Bessner noticed Grimes driving an ATV along a city and ordered him to pull over. When Grimes did not comply with the order, Bessner deployed his stun gun and hit Grimes, who crashed and slammed into a pickup. He later died at a Detroit hospital.

Grimes’ death has been ruled an accident. Meanwhile, Bessner has been suspended by the state, which is investigating the incident. A second investigation, by the Detroit Police Department, is being done, too.
Grimes family on Wednesday filed $50 million lawsuit against Bessner.