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Michigan Teen Videotapes His Own Murder – Officer Not Charged

6/17/2015

12 Comments

 
Picture
Eaton County Deputy Sheriff Sgt. Jonathan Frost will not face charges in the February shooting of unarmed 17yr old Deven Guilford. Frost fired seven shots, all of which hit Guilford at close range. Guilford was shot once in the head, right chest, upper belly, left armpit, lower chest, right wrist and right forearm.

In what starts as Deven Guilford being pulled over for flashing his bright lights at a passing officer’s vehicle, in less than 6 minutes it ends with Guilford dead, laying in a snow bank on M-43.

Three disturbing videos, two of which were record by Deven himself, document the escalation of the seemingly unnecessary traffic stop. These graphic videos really speak for themselves. Although the officers body cam shuts off the instant before shots are fired, Devens cell phone is laying on the ground and still recording. The second video that Deven Guilford records (below) captures the horrific moments when he screams out as Sgt. Frost fires 7 shots.
Video from Sgt. Frost’s body camera.
First video recorded by Deven.
Second video recorded by Deven.
The Guilford family who has filed a federal lawsuit, released a statement following the announcement that Officer Jonathan Frost would not face charges.
Around 8:00pm on February 28, 2015, our 17 year old son and brother, Deven Guilford, was killed as a result of being shot seven times by Eaton County Deputy Sheriff Sgt. Jonathan Frost. At the time, Deven was merely traveling to his girlfriend’s house after playing basketball at his church. Deven was stopped by the officer because Deven flashed his bright lights to alert the oncoming officer that his brights appeared to be on. Notably, Deven was the third person that the officer had pulled over that night for flashing brights at the officer, who was driving a brand new police vehicle with high-intensity head-lights. During this traffic stop, it appears that Deven was puzzled and confused about why he was pulled over and why he was being confronted by the officer. It appears that the officer did not make any reasonable inquiry of Deven that could have helped ease the tensions of the situation.

The Eaton County Prosecutor, after reviewing the investigation by the Michigan State Police has determined to not bring any criminal charges against Sgt. Frost. Based on what we know at this time, our family believes that our son should not have been killed on the night in question. There was no reason or necessity for the officer to physically remove our son from the car without considering other options to avoid an unnecessary violent escalation. These options could have included, keeping Deven in the car to allow more time for the incident to cool down and/or wait for other officers to arrive. It must be also noted that Deven was not in possession (of) any weapon and emphatically told the officer that he was not armed. We also have serious concerns about whether the officer used unreasonable force against Deven under the circumstances. In this regard, there are questions about whether Deven should have been tased on the side of the roadway and whether the officer had the right to shoot and kill Deven in these circumstances. Ultimately, we encourage those want more information about the encounter to view the full video of the traffic stop leading up to the physical altercation between Deven and the officer. This video is available through the Michigan State Police Department and the Eaton County Prosecutor’s office. We believe this video raises more questions than answers regarding whether Deven should be alive today.
Sgt. Frost said that Deven came at him, striking him around the face. The two were in a field, a few feet away from Sgt. Frost’s vehicle.

He had lost the taser during the struggle; it was found later between the scene of the struggle and the vehicles.

Frost said the Deven got on top of him, hitting him repeatedly. He could feel blood in his mouth, and feared he was losing consciousness.

The prosecutor said Sgt. Frost felt he had to defend himself and acted in a lawful manner.

12 Comments
dustin link
6/17/2015 06:12:35 pm

bull shit im tired of cops getting away with murder

Reply
Peggy
6/18/2015 03:21:31 am

This sounds and looks a bit fishy to me. Why shoot 7 times--I don't believe the 17 year old juvenile could have overpowered the officer and pinned him down. This needs checking into immediately. I hope the parents pursue this to the fullest.

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Stephanie
6/18/2015 07:31:11 am

I call bullshit on the officer. Why shoot 7 times, especially after he was tazed.

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MMPARKER62
6/19/2015 07:29:19 pm

I feel for the family. I also have to question why this 17 year old felt that he had to refuse the officer's lawful request to show his DL, Reg. and proof of Ins.? All it would have taken was this 17 year old to understand that h had no right to refuse the officer's lawful request. As far as the officer's shooting of the 17 year, I do believe the tape does raise more questions than it gives answers (based on the fact that the video is dark once they leave the lights of the vehicles).
This 17 year old could have reduced the tension of the situation by complying with the officer's lawful request. In my opinion, they both were 50/50 responsible for their actions.
When will people learn that you have to obey a law enforcement officer's lawful requests. Just comply with their requests and remain calm and more than likely, the officer will be done with the ticket or speech within 5-10 minutes.
Why would anyone argue with someone who has a gun? I have preached it over and over to my 3 kids.....just do as the law enforcement ask you to do. Myself and my kids have all been stopped by the police.... we comply with their lawful requests and we are still here o talk about it.

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brooke
7/15/2015 09:15:52 am

that is disgusting. you hold a 17 year old kid equally responsible for his unarmed / murder compared to that of a police sjt who pulled the trigger. an officer who is trained not to use deadly force unless nesc. there is nothing in this video that points to this kid being dangerous or armed - just a kid who is trying to reason. i am so appalled, this is just proof that power currupts and they use it as an excuse to flaunt their authority. absolutely disgusting. so glad i live in canada. haha

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justin
9/8/2015 04:08:39 am

At no time can an officer open your car door on a traffic stop, the officer has to ask the person in the car to step out and ask the car owner or the person driving if he can search the vehicle and at that point the officer can open the door

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Mark
10/16/2015 08:17:24 am

Thanks for the lesson on the law! You're right, at no time can an officer remove someone from their vehicle after not complying with the law. He must ask nicely and wait, and if the driver refuses the officer forget his job and let him leave!

Kill yourself.

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Zoey
10/22/2015 02:18:40 am

Frost didn't ask nicely. He jerked that child out of the car, forced him on the ground, used a taser on him, and shot him 7 times!!!! He abused his authority, and he's a murderer. And you think this is okay?? Unbelievable.
And don't say "kill yourself" ... what is wrong with you?

Justinamazing
10/22/2015 06:29:11 am

The kid should have never been killed, the cop at no time can open a peeps door without permission, the cop can only open the door if the perp is doing something that can cause the officer harm, the cop had nothing to worry about he wasn't in danger, kid got killed just because he flashed his lights 3 times at a cop, which isn't illegeal, if you drive with your high beams on when there is not a car in front of you driving the opposite direction is fine, but if your high beams are on when there is another car you have to dim your lights it's the law, the kid was just flashing the lights at the cop because his high beams were blinding the kid and gets pulled over by the prick cop who had nothing to do but to pick on an innocent helpless kid, that cop should be found guilty, sent to prison, and get raped

Sad Father
10/20/2015 12:32:37 am

My son is 14 and looks a lot like Deven; blonde blue eyes...full of hope and carefree happiness. My heart aches. I have been so upset since seeing this. I could not sleep...As a father and a taxpayer, I am outraged. I saw this on the news at work and immediately new I was watching a murder. I could not finish my workday. I have lost two nights of sleep over this.

I have read so many post on this incident and I am so alarmed at the absolute callousness of my fellow Americans. Deven was a teenage boy...how many teenager are emotionally and mentally developed enough to make wise decisions???? How can you hold a very young naive child to the same level of responsibility you would a heavily armed grown man wearing body armor who has had years of combat and firearm training. Deven was a human being, he was just a little boy.

This 17 year old boy was clearly not use to violence. It was not in him. You can see it in the video and his demeanor. Imagine a young boy that has never been whipped, never been beaten, never even been slapped and has never even been in a fist fight. Imagine that as that kid you have no real understanding or reference of violence or what it even means when a police officer is shouting at you. Imagine you can't recognize an escalating violent encounter. Imagine the only reference of someone shouting at you is when your mom opens your bedroom door and shouts at you for being late for school as you are still sleeping. Imagine if your only response and the one you have used your whole life is to throw your hands out to your side, shrug your shoulders and say ...really mom...really...come on...I'm going. These were the exact motions and words and mannerisms displayed by this young boy while kneeling on the ground and looking at 27 year old Sgt. Frost standing over him in rage and anger. 15 seconds later this young man was brutally murdered by a 27 year old ego maniac looking for a fight.

This is murder....this is murder and this was covered up. This poor kid. I weep for him. If you watch this tape closely you see he was calm, his sentences ended in Sir. He was not belligerent. He even said he was sorry. Officer frost admitted that Deven was the third person to flash him that night. He simply was standing up for his rights as a US Citizen. His last words were along these same lines.

There are YouTube videos teaching citizens how to calmly question police officers. Deven was following this method exactly. He made sure his window was rolled down just enough to talk but not allow entry. When he saw the officer was becoming irrational, he informed him he was filming the encounter, after the officer tried to drag him out of his car he got really scared and called for help. This poor kid was possibly under the influence but he was also clearly terrified. He could not believe this was happening...he even looked at the cop when on his knees and said "really" motioning his left hand and shrugging his shoulders in disbelief as if to say...come on...this is nuts. He felt indignant as anyone would.

He did not realize that this psychopath had snapped and is now in full kill mode. He had no experience to draw from...he was a child. Next ....just a few seconds before he was ultimately murdered, Devon protested when Frost kicked his cell phone out of his hand and into the highway. My son's I-Phone is his most prized possession...it is his best friend. He's a teenager!!! Still in disbelief the kid turned his torso up and looked back at Frost and said..."hey ...what are you doing officer...you can't do this". These are not the words of a belligerent dangerous cop killer. That is when Frost tased him from two feet away. The taser needs more distance to discharge properly so the barbs just penetrated Devons back but very little voltage was transferred. This is when Deven finally realized he was in very real...horrible danger.

Put some work into your thought process, Deven deserves no less. Have some compassion for this innocent young man.

Imagine yourself being only 17 years old and being face down on frozen asphalt and a complete stranger, heavily armed and wearing body armor and jack boots stands over you and without cause, shoots you in the back with a taser desinged to take down a 400 pound man strung out on meth; the barbs hurt like hell as they penetrate deep under your skin, but the taser malfunctions and does not incapacitate you. Imagine if in addition to the barbs you are being painfully shocked but at a lower discharge level. No person would lie there. You would spring up in pain. This is exactly what happened to Deven. Put yourself in Deven's situation. Use your imagination and let yourself feel the rising panic and fear and the adrenalin rush surging through your body screaming at you to stop the pain and flee for your life.

This poor kid panicked and was fighting for his life. Have there been any cognitive studies on victims of a taser malfu

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Zoey
10/22/2015 02:31:58 am

I agree with you, and my heart aches for the parents, too. I haven't been able to sleep well since I watched that video either. I'm so sorry that you're dealing with this on a personal level. I have a son as well, and I worry about him all the time. I just didn't think I'd ever have to worry about him being harmed by a policeman.
I just don't understand how this murdering maniac didn't go to jail. He can do it again, and it's terrifying.

Reply
Justinamazing
10/22/2015 06:50:12 am

Deputy Sheriff Sgt Jojnathon Frost was breaking the law when Deven flashed his lights at him, Deven was telling him that his high beams were still on an blinding him, and in the state of Michigan, you must dim your high beams within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle, and Johnathon Frost didn't turn his high beams down which he didn't turn down, no he pulled over Deven, if Frost had turned down his high beams Frost would still be a dick but Deven would still be alive
Some motorists are confused or unaware about the law concerning high beam lights. So, let’s take a few moments to cast a light on it, shall we?

In most states, including Michigan, you must dim your brights within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle. The exact distance varies from state to state.

According to the Michigan Vehicle Code: “Whenever the driver of a vehicle approaches an oncoming vehicle within 500 feet, such driver shall use a distribution of light or composite beam so aimed that the glaring rays are not projected into the eyes of the oncoming driver.”

The law in Michigan also mandates that drivers use lights in certain scenarios.

“The Michigan Vehicle Code requires head lamps to emit a white light, with "high-beams" of intensity to reveal persons and vehicles at a distance of at least 350 feet ahead, and low-beams of intensity to reveal persons and vehicles at a distance of at least 100 feet ahead. Since smoked headlamp covers change the color of light, and/or decrease their intensity below the requirements, they should not be used when headlamps are required to be on. However, smoked headlamp covers may be used when headlamps are not on, and not required.”

These rules are in place to protect other drivers on the road, as well as yourself. Obeying the law will help ensure that other drivers aren’t subjected to sudden bouts of blurred vision when operating a dangerous motor vehicle at a high rate of speed.

The penalties associated with improper usage of brights vary from state to state. In Michigan, improper use of lights/failure to dim is a civil infraction that carries a 2-point penalty.

Oddly enough, there are no laws on the books concerning flashing your brights at other drivers. According to a police sergeant in a 2011 story from MLive, the legality of flashing your brights comes down to specific facts.

Like many laws, what this really comes down to is common sense and having care for others. When you’re driving in the dark and there’s nobody on the road, use your brights. When you see a car approaching on the other side of the road, temporarily turn them off until the vehicle passes. It’s that simple!




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