DETROIT– Prosecutors have appealed the dismissal of a manslaughter charge against a former Detroit police officer accused of causing the death of a 71-year-old man by punching him in the face and causing him to fall to the ground.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office filed an appeal in the case against Juwan Brown on Friday, the prosecutor’s office said in a news release.
District Court Judge Kenneth King cited insufficient evidence as the reason for the dismissal during a preliminary hearing for Brown on Jan. 18.
Brown struck Daryl Vance of Detroit during a confrontation following the officer’s response to a disorderly person call outside a bowling alley on Sept. 1, prosecutors say. Vance fell to the ground, hit his head and died in a hospital after three weeks.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Vance’s death was caused by blunt force trauma to his head from the impact, prosecutors say.
“Police officers often deal with citizens who are disorderly and verbally obnoxious,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said when Brown was charged. “But the evidence in this case shows that the officer was allegedly the aggressor, and his actions went beyond criminal law. what was needed in this situation.”
Brown was later fired from the police force, his attorney Steve Fishman said. He was charged in December.
A call to Fishman’s office Saturday was not returned and attempts to leave a voicemail requesting comment were unsuccessful.