Wilson’s family holds a press conference outside of the Dearborn Police Department.

DEARBORN – The family of a 31-year-old Detroit woman who was fatally shot by Dearborn Police last week is saying they want answers.

The family of Janet Wilson, held a press conference outside of the Dearborn Police Department on Wednesday, February 3, just days after the Wayne County Medical Examiner ruled her death as a homicide as a result of multiple gunshot wounds.

Wilson was at Fairlane Town Center on Wednesday, January 27 when she had a confrontation with mall security that resulted in her fleeing the scene. 

Minutes later she was cornered by Dearborn Police on Hubbard Drive, where she was shot for allegedly attempting to run over an officer in an attempt to flee the scene again.

But According to Wilson’s family, the account given by Dearborn Police isn’t adding up. They described her as a non-confrontational, loving churchgoer who didn’t have a criminal history.

“This is a murder,” said Cassie Bass, a niece of Wilson. “Kym Worthy, where are you?” referring to the Wayne County Prosecutor. 

According the family, Wilson did suffer from a mental disability. She had just recently obtained her driver’s license and had cleaned homes for a living.

The family said on the day of her death, Wilson told them that she was going to Fairlane to eat at a restaurant. She also had plans to visit a Baptist Church. She was also mourning the death of her father, who had died last summer.

An attorney for the family, Vince Colella, said he’s aiming to gather evidence of the incident, including possible video footage from area businesses and police dash-cam videos.

“If there were shots fired into this vehicle before it started to advance towards this officer … that would be excessive force,” he said.

Michigan State Police is heading the investigation into the incident. Last week,  it stated that Wilson’s vehicle would be considered a weapon. 

Minister Malik Shabazz, a Detroit activist who was with the family said that their may have been other forms of capturing Wilson than shooting at her.

“What other mechanisms could have been done?” Shabazz asked. “Could we have shot out the tires? Could we have threw stars on the ground to blow out the tires rather than to shoot into the car?”

Following Wilson’s death, Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad released a statement expressing remorse for the family. He stated that the department would be carefully reviewing it’s procedures.

Wilson’s death came just one month after the death of 35-year-old Kevin Matthew, another African American resident from Detroit who suffered from a mental disorder. Matthew was shot and killed by a Dearborn Police officer following a chase that ended in a neighborhood on the west side of Detroit.

That death sparked outrage from local civil rights groups and Detroit residents.  The officer involved in that incident has been placed on paid administration leave, although his name has not been identified. 

The name of the officer involved in Wilson’s death has also not been made public. Both cases are expected to be overlooked by the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office. 

Wilson’s family called for a boycott against Dearborn and Fairlane Town Center, in a call similar to the one made by New Era Detroit, a local group that spearheaded multiple protests in the city following Matthew’s death. 

“I don’t want you to turn a blind eye to this,” Bass said. “This should not happen. This cannot keep going on. An injustice for one is an injustice for all. Who’s policing the police?”

ADC-MI Director Fatina Abdrabboh said it’s disappointing that the police department has yet to release further details on both shootings, calling for transparency.