On June 22, 2003, the Drypen family asked their sixteen-year-old son, Christopher, to turn his rap music down; instead, he pulled a nine-inch serrated steak knife. They called 911, and asked for assistance subduing him. They told dispatchers that he had psychiatric problems and was not taking his medication, and told arriving police that he was “violent,” having a “psychotic episode,” and armed with a serrated steak knife. Moreover, the Drypens said, last time Christopher was like this, it took four people to subdue him.
For over an hour, several deputies tried to talk Christopher out of the basement, surrounding him at the stairs to the basement and at the outside walk-out doors. At one point, Drypen came towards deputies with the knife raised; they responded by retreating, and holding the door closed until the inside door-handle broke off in Christopher’s hand. Christopher was yelling “Die” with an obscenity. Deputies say (and the family disputes that) Drypen charged deputies up the stairs with the knife raised; he was shot from a mere twelve feet away in self-defense, and killed. Prosecutors called the killing justified self-defense and did not press charges after a three-month investigation, but the Drypen family sued–and now Oakland County taxpayers are out $4 million ($1.42 million to attorney Jules Olsman) because the County settled without admitting wrongdoing. (Mike Martindale, “$4 million won’t end grief for family”, Detroit News, Feb. 18; Marsha Low, “Family struggles to move on after son killed by deputies”, Detroit Free Press, Feb. 19; Korie Wilkins, “County to pay $4M in death of 16-year-old”, Daily Oakland Press, Feb. 18; Kate Phillips, “Drypen suit settled”, Milford Times, Feb. 17; Oakland County press release, Sep. 12, 2003; Marsha Low, “Grieving family blames police”, Detroit Free Press, Sep. 13, 2003; Bill Laitner, “Family sues over police shooting of ill teenager”, Detroit Free Press, Oct. 16, 2003; Drypen v. Oakland County, Case No. 2:03-cv-74151-AC (E.D. Mich.)).
Update, Feb. 27: The press finally gets around to reporting the defense side of the story. Often the press repeats the fact that officers fired many times as evidence that excessive force was used, when, in fact, officers are trained to keep firing until a threat is stopped. (Korie Wilkins, “Son’s death remains mystery”, Daily Oakland Press, Feb. 27; Kate Phillips, “Sides still dispute shooting details”, Milford Times, Feb. 24).
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