Father of man killed in raid: 'My son did not deserve this'
The father of a Detroit man who was killed by a federal agent lashed out at law enforcement today, saying his son was unarmed when he was gunned down in his home in the middle of the day, right in front of him.
"My son died with clenched fists. He didn't have a hammer ... They assassinated my son in my face," Kevin Kellom said just moments ago during a rally on the city's west side.
Kellom disputed police claims that his 20-year-old son, Terrance, had a hammer in his hand when a federal agent approached him in his house.
According to police, a fugitive task force had gone to the house at about 1 p.m. Monday to execute an arrest warrant for Terrance Kellom, a habitual offender who had fled while on probation and was wanted as a suspect in the armed robbery of a pizza delivery man. Police said when the task force arrived at the house, Kellom was hiding in the attic. Authorities told the father that they had an arrest warrant for his son, and that the father let them inside, police said.
At some point, police said, Kellom emerged from the attic and came at a federal agent with a hammer. The agent responded by firing multiple shots -- neighbors have said as many as 10 -- and has been placed on administrative leave, authorities said.
But Kevin Kellom tells a different story.
He said his son was never in hiding, and that police told him they had a search warrant to enter the home. He said the search warrant didn't materialize until three hours after his son was shot and killed.
"I don't understand why my son was killed," Kellom said. "My son did not deserve this."
According to an official close to the investigation, Monday's fatal shooting started out as a domestic situation in which a woman called police earlier in the day to report a domestic dispute of some sort involving Kellom. The woman told police where they could find Kellom, who was wanted on a four-count warrant as a suspect in the armed robbery of a pizza driver, the source said.
That call led a fugitive task force to a home on the city's west side. During the raid, police said, Kellom advanced toward the agent with a hammer and the agent fired as he was backing up, the source said, noting five people were in the house at the time it happened.
The federal agent at the center of the controversy, however, has not been interviewed yet by Detroit police because he is off limits for at least 48 hours under federal policy, the source said.
The agent — a lifelong Detroiter and seven year veteran with the U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement — has been placed on administrative leave, ICE officials said today. The agency did not name the agent, stating only that he has "no history of adverse personnel actions" and that he was a decorated 12-year veteran of the DPD before working for the federal government.
"The agent felt that he was in imminent danger because the suspect was advancing on him in possession of this hammer," Detroit Police Chief James Craig said earlier today. "He responded to overcome the suspect's actions and used deadly force."
U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said her office is monitoring the situation.
"Yesterday's shooting was a tragedy and we offer our deep condolences to the family," McQuade said in a statement. "Police work sometimes requires use of deadly force, but officers may use only as much force as is reasonable under the circumstances. In a situation like this, it is important to protect the rights of both the deceased and the officer. Therefore, we are closely monitoring the investigation."
According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, Kellom had fled in August from probation, which he was serving for a 2013 weapons offense.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office today said an autopsy showed Kellom died of multiple gunshot wounds.
Meanwhile, this latest shooting has triggered yet more public animosity toward law enforcement in Detroit.
""In light of national incidents, we find this latest shooting appalling, distressing, and despicable that another young black man has to be killed in his house in front of his family with multiple gunshots," said Ron Scott, spokesperson of the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality.
The coalition will join various groups at 4 p.m. at the corner of Evergreen and Chicago, near where Kellom was shot and killed.
Craig said a community meeting is scheduled to be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Grace Community Church of Detroit, 20021 W. Chicago.
On Monday, Detroit Police Sgt. Cassandra Lewis said the task force had gone to a home to arrest the suspect. She said "there was no forced entry" and the ICE officer "was faced with a threat and made the decision to use lethal force to eliminate the threat."
Kellom's family, meanwhile, is struggling to comprehend what happened.
"This family has been hit with loss after loss," said Nikki Horton, Kellom's sister-in-law, who noted Kellom's grandmother, grandfather, uncle and a cousin all died in the past two years.
"There is no way that he would have threatened an officer, especially physically," Horton said. "He was smarter than that. He would never do that, especially in front of his family."
According to Horton, Kellom was "in the process of turning his life around." He had a baby and another one on the way, she said.
"We all got saved recently, and we were encouraging (Kellom) to do the same," she said of the family's religious ties.
Near the shooting scene this afternoon, about a dozen people stood near the street waving cardboard signs that read "Who do we call on the police" and "10x = Excessive force," the latter being in reference to the number of shots neighbors are claiming were fired.
Pastor Maurice Hardwick of Detroit, standing on Evergreen with the protesters, said the officials' account of the shooting is "pretty fishy," and he doesn't understand why a man with a hammer would be shot that many times. But he said he's pleased with Craig's response and looks forward to hearing more from him at Wednesday's community meeting.
"Give me the facts," Hardwick said. "We want the statements that were taken."
