A Metro Detroit family seeks to raise at least $7,000 after their son died last weekend in an officer-involved shooting in Fraser.
A GoFundMe campaign was created by Amber Gould, who said she is the mother of the 15-year-old boy fatally shot.
In a post on the site, Gould said her son Ayden “experienced a severe mental health crisis and instead of being met with care, he was met with force.”
She added: “Despite already harming himself, Fraser Police tased him and then shot him multiple times in the chest. He died on the scene. Our son was a child — sensitive, loving, funny, and deeply cared for by everyone who knew him. He deserved help. He deserved patience. He deserved to live.”
Gould did not immediately respond to an interview request Monday.
The family is working to raise money to plan a funeral and burial, compensation for time away from work to grieve as well as to help handle investigations and legal consultations, according to the post.
On Saturday around 5:30 p.m., the Fraser Department of Public Safety responded to a domestic dispute at a residence in the 17000 block of Breezeway.
According to a release from the department, an officer shot a 15-year-old male. Medical assistance was immediately provided to the youth on the scene before he was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
No officers were injured during the incident. The officer who shot the teen was placed on an administrative leave.
The investigation into the shooting was turned over to the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office. Representatives said they had no additional information Monday and did not have a timeline on when the investigation would be completed.
In a statement, the office said the 15-year-old “was armed with a knife during the incident. Body-worn camera footage also confirms that officers deployed tasers in an attempt to use less-than-lethal force.The investigation remains ongoing, and additional information will be released as it becomesavailable.”
mjohnson@etroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: GoFundMe launched for family of teen fatally shot by Fraser police
Reporting by Myesha Johnson, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
