DETROIT (AP) - Six men, including four Lincoln Park police officers, have been charged in connection with a drag racing death late last year.
Aaron Reynolds, 34, of Detroit, and Mustapha Mohammed Atat, 30, of River Rogue, are charged with second degree murder. They are also charged with failure to stop at the scene of a serious personal injury accident, two counts of felonious driving and drag racing.
Officers William Kish III, Joseph Lavis, Douglas Muncey and Mohammed Nasser are charged with willful neglect of duty and willful failure to uphold or enforce the law. They are also charged with drag racing.
“We’ve got videos of (the officers) sitting there. You can see them in their car,” Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman Rebecca Tenorio told The Detroit News for a story Wednesday.
Witnesses said the officers played music over a police car loudspeaker and encouraged the race, which was in Detroit near the Lincoln Park border.
State law prohibits officers from crossing city borders to enforce misdemeanors. But Wayne County Prosecutor Michael Duggan said the officers could have radioed their supervisors and the Detroit police to tell them about the race.
“For police officers to stand by and watch, to me, is unbelievable,” Duggan told The Detroit Free Press for a story Wednesday.
Denise Jones, 35, died after she was hit by one of the two cars involved in the Oct. 8 race. Two other pedestrians also were injured.
Prosecutors said that during the race, Reynolds and Atat reached speeds of more than 100 mph in a 35 mph zone. Reynolds lost control of his vehicle, traveled across a sidewalk and struck Jones and the two other people, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Jones, of Detroit, was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Eric Draw, 35, of Detroit, suffered a broken pelvis, and Rodney Ricks, 32, of Detroit, suffered a shattered ankle.
If convicted of second degree murder, Reynolds and Atat could face up to life in prison.