Zaac
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'How in the world could this happen?' Guilford family speaks out
MULLIKEN - Brian Guilford's fondest memory of his son Deven is the very last one he has.
On the morning of Feb. 28, the 17-year-old was in bed, still asleep. Brian's grandson had a basketball game that day, and Deven, who often went to watch, had planned to go.
It was time to get up. Deven wasn’t a morning person but Brian had experience cajoling him awake. He teased and prodded, pulled the covers off Deven and joked until he saw a smile.
“We ended it laughing, and I walked out of his room," Brian said.
They would never speak again.
Deven died on the side of M-43 in Roxand Township that night, about 8:25 p.m., on his way to his girlfriend’s house after a basketball game at his church in Grand Ledge. He was stopped for flashing his high beams at Eaton County Sheriff's Sgt. Jonathan Frost. Less than six minutes later, Deven, who was unarmed, was dead, shot seven times by Frost.
In the eight months since, Deven's death has become the subject of fierce debate across the region.
In June Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd cleared Frost of any criminal wrongdoing, saying his actions were lawful.
And a week ago his family filed a federal civil lawsuit against Eaton County and Frost. It alleges that Frost's "entire course of action was illegal and in violation of Deven's constitutional rights."
The Guilford family consented to an interview with the Lansing State Journal earlier this week, with the understanding they would not discuss the evening of the incident.
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'A kind kid'
With the exception of the last few tragic seconds, during which prosecutors said Deven attacked Frost and Frost shot and killed him, most of the exchange between Deven and Frost on the night of his death was captured on video — from Frost's body camera and from Deven's cell phone, which the teen used to record the encounter.
It's the only impression most people have of the Mulliken teen.
Ten months ago, Brian said, he may have m
ade some of the same assumptions that some people have made about his son.
Deven Guilford with his niece and nephews. (Photo: Courtesy photo)
"They think any kid that gets shot like that is a mouthy, bratty kid who had no regard for authority, and I’m telling you that isn’t who he was," Brian said.
The Guilfords said Deven was the most vibrant personality in the family, a bright, active and kind teenager — the last person they ever imagined would die in a police shooting.
Deven had no criminal record. Before the fatal traffic stop, he'd never had contact with law enforcement, they said.
“I’ve always envisioned a child, anyone who's shot by a cop, their life just on a downward spiral, you know, and then the cops are the end of it,” Brian said. “Deven’s life was the other way."
Brian and Becky Guilford have an established life in the community. They grew up in Grand Ledge and Mulliken. They run their own construction business out of their home and have attended Liberty Church in Grand Ledge for nearly two decades as a family.
Deven was the youngest of three boys. His older brothers, Aaron, 29, and Ryan, 35, remember just as clearly as their parents the day he joined the family.
The couple had wanted another child, but endured several miscarriages before deciding to become foster parents hoping for an adoption.
The day 18-month-old Deven arrived at their house, “the lady pulled in the driveway, and he hit the ground,” Becky said. “He never looked back. He was ours.”
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2015/10/21/guilford-family/74208802/
Another person killed by a police officer over what started with a traffic violation. I just watched the video from the officer's camera and the young man's camera.
He tasered the young man. And then shot him SEVEN times. And for WHAT? And just like clockwork, the prosecutor says it was a justified killing.
