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Lawsuit claims Detroit police officer killed ‘restrained, defenseless’ dog in search

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Lawsuit claims Detroit police officer killed ‘restrained, defenseless’ dog in search


Detroit — A Detroit woman and her two adult sons are suing the city of Detroit and a group of Detroit police officers, claiming one of them killed the family’s dog for no reason before the residents were taken into custody without probable cause.

The incident happened Jan. 2, 2023, when Officer Austin Rymarz and five other “John Doe” officers executed a search warrant at a house on Roosevelt Street on Detroit’s west side, according to the 15-page lawsuit that was filed March 3 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Attorney Cyril C. Hall told The Detroit News the officers handcuffed his clients, Lashaye Taylor and her adult sons Desjuan Taylor and Saron Blanding, after falsely claiming there was a warrant for their arrest.

Lashaye Taylor was held in a squad car “for several hours,” while Desjuan Taylor and Blanding were held in the Detroit Detention Center for four days before being released without charges, Hall said.

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“There was never any warrant,” Hall said. “None of them have been charged with any crimes related to those unlawful arrests.”

While carrying out the search warrant, the lawsuit accused Rymarz of fatally shooting Lashaye Taylor’s dog while it “was restrained, defenseless, and posed no immediate danger.”

Detroit police spokesman Vic Pratt said the department couldn’t discuss the specific details of the incident, citing the ongoing lawsuit.

“However, the DPD can confirm that incidents involving high-risk search warrants are extremely dangerous and require officers to make split-second judgment calls regarding potential threats,” Pratt said in a statement. “Unfortunately, aggressive animals are sometimes posted near doors to alert the occupants that police have arrived and to prevent officers from entering the location. Pursuant to DPD policy, physical force against any animal will be used only to prevent harm or injury to a person. This matter will be referred to the City Law Department for proper action.” 

According to the lawsuit, the dog was chained to a fence in Lashaye Taylor’s yard during the raid, and “posed no threat to the officers. The dog could not have reached or attacked officers due to the chain’s length. Police body camera footage and trial testimony confirm that the dog remained in its position and did not advance toward any officers.

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“Lashaye Taylor and her son Terrance Blanding told (the) officers that they could remove dog in front,” the lawsuit said. “Shortly thereafter, (Lashaye Taylor) heard flashbang and three shots from (a) firearm causing (her) to scream.”

The lawsuit, which does not specify the amount of damages sought, alleges the officers violated the plaintiffs’ Fourth Amendment rights, and claims the city failed to properly train and supervise the officers.

Hall told The News he received body-worn camera footage and transcripts from Rymarz’s trial board, during which he admitted under cross-examination, “I could see that (the dog) was attached to something,” and that “he did not know how far the chain reached.”

“Despite Defendant Rymarz’s observation, he fired three shots, killing the dog,” the lawsuit said. “The dog was restrained, defenseless, and posed no immediate danger. Officer Rymarz later falsely claimed the dog was aggressive and advancing, despite video evidence contradicting this assertion. He testified, ‘The dog was in the same spot before and after the shooting.’”

The lawsuit accused the officers of violating the Detroit Police Department’s Dangerous Animal Policy, which states that “an officer shall not discharge a firearm at a dog or other animal, except to protect a member or person from imminent physical injury and there is no opportunity to retreat or other reasonable means to eliminate the threat.”

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The policy further requires that “before using deadly force, every attempt will be made to use other reasonable means to contain the threat of a dangerous animal.”

The lawsuit also accused the officers of removing the dog’s remains without the owner’s consent, and failing to follow the department’s reporting requirements for the destruction of an animal.

The lawsuit is the latest to accuse Detroit police officers of unnecessarily killing dogs. In 2023, a woman claimed in a federal lawsuit that a Detroit police officer unlawfully entered her backyard and fatally shot her dog. A 2019 lawsuit claims officers shot a woman’s two dogs without cause, killing one of them.

The city in 2015 agreed to settle a $100,000 lawsuit with a man after police shot his dog while it was chained to a fence.

ghunter@detroitnews.com

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(313) 222-2134

@GeorgeHunter_DN



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Detroit, MI

Air conditioner forecast: Metro Detroit heads into hot, sticky stretch

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Air conditioner forecast: Metro Detroit heads into hot, sticky stretch


Metro Detroit is set to trade this weekend’s comfortable weather for a stretch of increasingly hot and humid conditions this week, with temperatures climbing into the upper 80s and lower 90s and humidity levels high enough to make it feel even warmer.

While Monday remains pleasant, the 4Warn Weather team is tracking a developing pattern that could bring rounds of showers and thunderstorms Tuesday through Thursday, followed by a period of heat that may pose health risks for some people.

The dry weather will hold through Monday before moisture surges northward ahead of a low-pressure system. That setup will lead to increasing clouds Monday night and a growing chance of showers and thunderstorms Tuesday.

The atmospheric moisture levels will be unusually high for June, meaning storms will be capable of producing locally heavy rainfall in a short amount of time Tuesday.

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Metro Detroit will have daily chances for showers and thunderstorms through the week, but attention will also turn to the heat.

Temperatures are expected to soar to around 90 degrees Wednesday and the lower 90s Thursday across Metro Detroit, with muggy nights only falling into the upper 60s to lower 70s. Combined with dew points rising into the upper 60s and lower 70s, heat index values could climb well into the 90s to 100 degrees.

Temperatures are expected to soar to around 90 degrees Wednesday and the lower 90s Thursday across Metro Detroit, with muggy nights only falling into the upper 60s to lower 70s. Combined with dew points rising into the upper 60s and lower 70s, heat index values could climb well into the 90s to 100 degrees. (WDIV)

These values can create dangerous conditions for vulnerable populations, including older adults, young children, people with chronic health conditions and anyone working or exercising outdoors for extended periods.

After weeks of relatively mild temperatures, the human body has not yet fully acclimated to summer heat, making heat-related illnesses more likely.

Temperatures are expected to soar to around 90 degrees Wednesday and the lower 90s Thursday across Metro Detroit, with muggy nights only falling into the upper 60s to lower 70s. Combined with dew points rising into the upper 60s and lower 70s, heat index values could climb well into the 90s to 100 degrees. (WDIV)

Heat Safety

People are encouraged to begin practicing heat safety habits now:

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  • Drink water regularly, even before feeling thirsty.

  • Limit strenuous outdoor activity during the hottest part of the afternoon.

  • Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing.

  • Take frequent breaks in air-conditioned spaces.

  • Never leave children or pets in vehicles.

  • Check on elderly neighbors and relatives.

The hottest day of the stretch is likely to be Thursday, when Metro Detroit could reach the lower 90s. Depending on sunshine and thunderstorm coverage, a few communities may push even higher.

For residents of the Thumb, temperatures will be somewhat cooler thanks to the moderating influence of Lake Huron. Highs there are expected to remain largely in the lower to middle 80s during the warmest part of the week.

Thunderstorm chances continue through Thursday and could briefly interrupt the heat. However, any breaks are expected to be short-lived, and many locations will spend much of the week feeling decidedly summerlike.

By Friday and next weekend, temperatures may ease slightly back into the upper 80s, although isolated showers and thunderstorms remain possible.

Share your weather photos and how you’re staying cool with Local 4 at MIPics.

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2 men dead in unrelated overnight Detroit shootings

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2 men dead in unrelated overnight Detroit shootings


DETROIT (WXYZ) — Two men are dead after being shot in the early morning hours of Sunday, in what police say were separate incidents.

Both shootings took place in between 3 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. We’re told that one shooting happened in the 19000 block of Kelly Road on Detroit’s east side, and the other happened in the 8700 block of Quincy Street on Detroit’s west side.

Authorities say that the circumstances that led up to each of these shootings are unknown. No suspects have been arrested in relation to these cases.





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Hundreds gather for rally against gun violence on Detroit’s east side

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Hundreds gather for rally against gun violence on Detroit’s east side


Community violence intervention groups, local organizations and law enforcement partners joined forces on Saturday to send a message that it’s time to put an end to gun violence in Detroit.

Hundreds attended the annual Silence the Violence rally on the city’s east side. One of the event’s participants, Latina Mack, is a member of the community violence intervention group Force Detroit.

“I combine myself with Force Detroit to be able to help these kids, to give them the resources, to provide opportunities for them, to do things that they have never done before,” Mack said.

In 2023, her 17-year-old son, Elijah, was killed in an accidental shooting.

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“My son’s death prompted me to want to do more. I just didn’t want anybody else to go through what I go through on a regular basis. Sometimes that’s the biggest thing, just showing up and letting people know I’m here.” Mack said.

Organizers say the rally and march are about honoring those lost to gun violence, bringing awareness to ongoing struggles and showing support to those who need it.

“It’s very, very important to the survivors, and it’s more than just the survivors as it relates to the families, but the whole community is surviving this stuff because they seen it,” Dujuan Zoe Kennedy, executive director, Force Detroit, said.

Kennedy added that when it comes to gun violence, if you can predict it, you can prevent it.

“We know the root causes of violence are poverty. We know the root causes of violence are psychological, emotional and mental wellness. So we have to provide those things, we have to be there, we have to be trauma-informed and we have to operate and provide economic mobility,” Kennedy said.

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One example of a community violence intervention success is Jordan Owens.

“I got a lot of good mentorship, and a lot of good guidance from them and I feel like I’m going down a better path,” Owens said.

The 16-year-old was arrested with a gun just a few years ago.

“I wasn’t necessarily beefing with people doing that, but people were in my neighborhood getting robbed, killed, hurt and I felt like I just needed protection at my age. I felt like I didn’t have nobody to protect me and I felt like I had to do it myself,” Owens said.

Now he realizes that’s not the case.

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“It’s more to life than just all of this stuff in the neighborhoods and all of that. We all have the opportunity to change our lives and do better, and you just have to want that change for yourself.”

Owens has become an entrepreneur, starting both landscaping and car detailing services.

“I’d love to be a good community member, speaking to the youth and stuff like that, and doing more stuff like this. And I just want to go to college, continue with my businesses,” Owens said.



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