No charges for officer in death of Michigan teen struck by police car during chase
A prosecutor declined to file charges Tuesday against a police officer who struck and killed a western Michigan teenager while the boy was fleeing a stolen vehicle.
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker played a video for reporters and said he found no evidence of intentional deadly force. Instead, he accused the driver, another teenager, of causing the death while fleeing police.
Riley Doggett, 17, was struck by a patrol car driven by a deputy on April 8 at the end of a high-speed chase in Kent and Ottawa counties. He died on May 9 from head injuries.
Doggett and another teen fled on foot from a stolen Range Rover after the vehicle crashed into parked cars in a business district.
Becker said the deputy believed Doggett was dangerous and chased him, even though the teen was holding a phone and not a gun.
“He’s trying to shut it down,” the prosecutor said. “He didn’t do it the right way and hit him, maybe he cut too close, and obviously there are tragic consequences.”
One of Doggett’s shoes came off and there were black marks on his lower leg, Becker noted.
Before speaking to reporters, Becker met with Doggett’s family and showed them dashcam video.
“They clearly felt the deputy should be charged. “I didn’t expect them to agree,” he said.
Ven Johnson, a lawyer for the family, had publicly called on authorities last week to release video footage and other details. He said the family had been in limbo for too long.
Even if the teen had done “something stupid,” he did not deserve to be a victim of “illegal, unnecessary, deadly force,” Johnson said Friday, hours before a memorial service for Doggett.
Doggett’s mother, Becky Wilbert, said he was a “good boy” regardless of the circumstances leading up to his death.
“He was funny. He was smart. He excelled in school,” Wilbert said. “He was always joking and making everyone laugh. He was the piece of our family that kept everyone together.”
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