Family seeks transparency as teen hit by police car is buried

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A month and a half after a 17-year-old was struck by a Kent County deputy's car during a foot chase, his family has yet to see video of the incident or police report.

“It's really hard to fully grieve without knowing what happened, without knowing why it happened,” said Becky Wilbert, Riley Doggett's mother.

His son was hit in Wyoming April 8 when Kent County Sheriff's deputies attempted to stop a vehicle they believed to be stolen and linked to several crimes in the county. According to the adolescent's death certificate, Doggett suffered head trauma. He spent a month at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital and died May 9.

“Riley was a good boy. No matter what happened, he was a good kid,” Wilbert said at a news conference Friday morning, before Doggett’s funeral.

Although funerals often provide a bit of closure for loved ones, Doggett's family is far from that.

“We don’t have any answers, so it’s really hard,” his mother said. “Yes, we are closing part of this story, but there is so much more. Until we know what happened…exactly what happened and why, I don't think we will all be able to grieve properly.

Attorney Ven Johnson, who represents the family alongside civil rights attorney Ben Crump, called it “shameful” and “disrespectful” that video of the incident was not released to the court. family or the public.

“Before the fourth anniversary of George Floyd's death, I think it's horribly, horribly ironic,” Johnson said at the news conference.

Johnson also referenced the Patrick Lyoya case, in which Grand Rapids police released video of the shooting a week and a half after it occurred. The video of Samuel Sterling, struck by an unmarked MSP cruiser nine days after Doggett, was released a little over three weeks ago later.

“The public deserves to know. If there’s no video, which there is, tell us and tell us why, and then hold the officer accountable if there isn’t,” Johnson said. “And they should have had one.” It's yes. If there's no video, which you all know, if it's bad for you and your camp, that shouldn't be a deciding factor in how long you can keep it.

That's why he's now calling on the Michigan Legislature to change the Freedom of Information Act.

“I think our public officials should not have more than 14 days after an event to release the videos, otherwise it will no longer escape their attention. They should not be allowed to hide this from the families, nor from the public. These are public documents. These are public facilities that record for a reason,” Johnson said. “If we are going to use this “T-word” of transparency in each of these situations, how about we actually mean it and put our actions where our words are?

On June 5, Johnson, former Kent County Commissioner Robert S. Womack and several others will hold a rally at the Capitol in Lansing to demand justice for Sterling.

“A lot of what we're going to ask for will also be to support the Doggett family. Because when it comes to juvenile records, when it comes to the FOIA request, when it comes to disrespect for the family, we need the legislature to step in to ensure that these families are treated fairly,” Womack said.

The Kent County Sheriff's Office previously said Doggett was 'unintentionally hit' and that it was “a direct result of the inherent risk accompanying the serious criminal activity in which Riley had engaged in the weeks and months preceding this incident.”

Johnson argued that it wasn't up to them to decide.

“(Doggett's) family would be the first to tell you that if that's what he did and there were charges, he should have faced the consequences. They would be the first to admit it,” Johnson said. “But what he didn’t deserve was for someone to be judge, jury and execution with that car and run them over.”

A private autopsy was performed, Johnson said, and he is awaiting the results.

Wilbert said almost all of the information she learned about her son and his death came from news reports.

“I asked the Michigan State Police when they called for medical updates, but they didn't, they wouldn't give me any information,” Wilbert said.

State police investigated the death. It's now up to Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker to decide whether the deputy who hit Doggett will face criminal charges. That deputy is on paid administrative leave amid the investigation.

News 8 asked Becker on Friday why the family hadn't been notified of the case. In an email, Becker wrote that this is an ongoing process and that his office is working on it with MSP.

Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young said Friday she expects the video to be released when the prosecutor makes his decision. Becker said he didn't have a timetable for when that might happen.

Doggett's funeral will be held Friday at 5 p.m. at Stroo Funeral Home in 1095 68th Street SE in Grand Rapids.

Johnson asked for the public's thoughts and prayers.

“Let us live by the golden rule. Please act the way you would want someone to treat you, God forbid, if this happened to you and your child. It doesn’t make anything right or wrong about what Riley did or didn’t do, it means the family won’t be punished for this now,” Johnson said.