Cusseaux's mother and her appointed representatives, including local attorney Sabinus Megwa and local activist the Rev. Michelle Cusseaux, 50, was shot at her apartment after she threatened a police officer and three other officers with a hammer, authorities said. The Rev. Phoenix Police Chief Joe Yahner accepted a department disciplinary review board's recommendation to demote Dupra, a 20-year police veteran, from sergeant down to officer. [Phoenix] has come a long way, but we're not there yet.”. Botello recalled a time when she had just split up with her boyfriend and Cusseaux spoke to the distraught man afterward. She also spoke of the need for more training and said it was imperative that the police be equipped with body cameras: “It will help keep the community safe and it will help keep the officers safe.”. What was once the main shopping center, the Maryvale Mall, now houses schools and a police station. "They should never hesitate to protect somebody or to help a victim.". "If you wanted something done, tell her she couldn't do it. Dupra could face a suspension, he could face a demotion, or he could face termination," Smith explained. There was always a sparkle in Michelle's eye that just smiled. Mourners at a south Phoenix church on Saturday recalled the happier moments of Michelle Cusseaux's short and troubled life. She was a beautiful person.". The finding of the board of three citizens and three officers runs contrary to prior investigations into the incident and today was celebrated as a civil rights victory by those protesting the mentally ill woman's death. We use cookies to collect and analyze information on site performance and usage, and to enhance and customize content and advertisements.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the fact that drugs and alcohol were found in Cusseaux's system justified the use of force. Much to their dismay, earlier this year, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced that it would not press charges against Dupra. The area is blighted by urban decay as suburban growth has moved west and south. A disciplinary review board will now lookat the case to determine what type of discipline Dupra should face. It was a time for friends and family to celebrate and reflect on Cusseaux's life and focus less on the darker moments that haunted the 50-year-old woman. The Phoenix Police Department's Use of Force Board has decided that the officer who fatally shot Michelle Cusseaux outside of her apartment last summer, Sergeant Percy Dupra, was in … Michelle Cusseaux Death / Obituary – Deaddeath learned June 6, 2020, the tragic Michelle Cusseaux death.Michelle was pronounced dead after being brutally shot dead by police officer identified as Phoenix police Sgt. According to police, she wouldn't open her door so they had to force their way inside. In August of 2014, Michelle Cusseaux threatened police with "Our review of this matter determined there was no criminal violation of Arizona's statutes regarding the use of deadly physical force," according to a statement from MCAO Thursday. Among those joining Garrett today were Elizabeth Singleton, a Phoenix advocate for mental health and the homeless, and Reverend Jarrett Maupin, a local civil rights leader. All rights reserved. In a particularly dramatic display, protesters marched Cusseaux’s casket through downtown Phoenix weeks after the shooting, calling for an outside agency to investigate the death. (Source: KPHO/KTVK), Michelle Cusseaux threatened Dupra and two other officer with a hammer in August 2014. At that moment in time, three officers were dealing with a severely mentally ill woman. AZ International Auto Show & New Car Buyer's Guide 2020 Model Year, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. International Committee of the Fourth International. There are conflicting reports on what led to the shooting. Percy Dupra is facing suspension, demotion or termination in the 2014 death of Michelle Cusseaux.
Standing with Mayor Greg Stanton and City Manager Ed Zuercher, Garcia spoke of the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri in response to the police killing of an unarmed young man, and stated, “The decision I made to have an independent department do this investigation will benefit our city, but it is bigger than the city of Phoenix.” Stanton added, “What matters most is that the public has complete trust.”. Her death sparked outrage, not just in Phoenix, but across the country. They focused on … Phoenix Arizona, September 30, 2014: Daniel Morrow, Founding Member and Executive Director of the World Peer Association announced today that he will launch an independent investigation into the Phoenix Police shooting death of Michelle Cusseaux, a woman who … She said her daughter suffered from depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. On Saturday, hours after the funeral, Chief Daniel V. Garcia said he asked the Arizona Department of Public Safety to conduct the criminal investigation. However, the Phoenix Police Department's Use of Force Board, which is comprised of three community members and three PPD employees, found Dupra's actions violated department policy. Days before he had refused the request by her family for an investigation by an outside agency. Phoenix police’s Use of Force Board is made up of three community members and three department employees. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. More than a year after that deadly shooting, a review board has determined the officer's use of force violated police department policies. Jarrett Maupin outside City Hall Friday morning. He had received no training in barricades prior to that.". The media accepts the prepackaged police version and predictable Maricopa County attorney’s findings without question. Michelle’s mother Francis Garret was the one who called mental health services to get her ailing daughter into an inpatient mental health facility. At the time of Michelle Cusseaux’s death, she was 50, lived in Phoenix, Arizona, and suffered from bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression. You have permission to edit this article. Kimberly Botello, a friend of Cusseaux, said the two had been planning a trip to Jamaica for Botello's 40th birthday. Dupra's attorney Steven Serbalik said that the Board's ruling sends a bad message to other officers. A bullet should have been the very last thing to have been used on Michelle.”. Some called her "Cuddie," while others called her "Chelly Baby". Montgomery said the use of force was justified, and that Cusseaux had drugs and trace amounts of alcohol in her system at the time of the incident. All rights reserved. "The PPD Use of Force Board applies a completely separate standard in evaluating whether the incident involved a violation of departmental policy. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office ruled that there was no criminal wrongdoing. © 2020 www.azcentral.com. “The DRB will review the facts and make a recommendation as to the appropriate level of discipline,” Crump said in a statement. "The problem that we're running into, and I think it's going to be a national problem, is use-of-force boards usually judge that fraction or moment in time," Smith explained. Phoenix police Sgt. According to police shooting statistics for 2011, Arizona was one of the 10 most deadly states and Phoenix was one of the 10 most deadly cities. The officers were there to transport her to an in-patient mental-health facility at the request of her mother Frances Garrett, who was contacted at her home in California by mental-health workers who said Cusseaux was a danger to herself. (Source: KPHO/KTVK). On Thursday, April 14, the Civil Service Board upheld the demotion of Officer Dupra. In the days following her slaying, hundreds in Phoenix and around the country protested and demanded an independent investigation. Here is Maupin’s full statement:"We want to express our gratitude to the citizens and city employees that serve on the Use Of Force Board for their findings with respect to the death of Michelle Cusseaux. Cusseaux was killed in August 2014 after a police officers were sent to her apartment as part of a court-ordered mental-health pick up. “This was the result,” said Garret. Dupra shot and killed her. Support Us Police in Phoenix, Arizona shot and killed Michelle Cusseaux, a 50-year-old mentally ill woman, on August 13 as they were attempting take her in to a psychiatric facility following a court order. When they got into Cusseaux's apartment, they say Cusseaux was charging towards Dupra "with the hammer over her head in a shopping motion," explained Sgt. Cusseaux's mother, Frances Garrett, held a news conference with the Rev. Her family settled in court. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Phoenix with no paywalls. Reverend Jarrett Maupin and Frances Garrett, mother of Michelle Cusseaux who was killed last year by Phoenix police, led a protest of police brutality Friday evening. Then-Phoenix Police Chief Daniel Garcia turned over the criminal side of the investigation to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
In the 1980s the police began to focus on this neighborhood for its drug and gang activities. Percy Dupra, a 19-year veteran of the Phoenix Police Department, in the afternoon of Aug. 14 at her Maryvale apartment. James Smith with the Phoenix Police Sergeants and Lieutenants Association, which is Dupra's union. Garcia has recently announced several changes at his department in the wake of Cusseaux's death, including more training and a review of its procedures for mental-health pick-ups. You may remember the case of Michelle Cusseaux. Jarrett Maupin, who has represented family members, said they are "moving closer to justice in this case. A Phoenix Police officer who shot and killed a mentally ill woman could be in trouble. Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we would like to keep it that way. Shortly after the shooting the officer was fired for unrelated serious misconduct. “I didn’t phone them and ask for my daughter to be killed. Phoenix activists and mother of slain woman protest police brutality. But in the year since that tragedy, Smith says changes have been made at the department that will help officers better deal with calls involving people who suffer from severe mental illness.
The Phoenix Police Department's Use of Force Board has ruled that the officer who fatally shot Michelle Cusseaux outside of her apartment last summer, Sergeant Percy Dupra, was in violation of department policy. Her shooting death was against the policies of the City of Phoenix.