DEARBORN — On Monday, October 17, African American community leaders held a press conference asking the Department of Justice to investigate the Dearborn government corruption. A few days later, a lawsuit revealed that police shot an unarmed man nine times.

The Dearborn Police Department has been under fire since the fatal shooting of 36-year-old Kevin Matthew last Dec. 23 and 31-year-old Janet Wilson on Jan. 27.

Police shot Wilson four times, while a $10 million lawsuit filed by Matthew’s family this month revealed an officer shot him nine times.

The lawsuit states that the officer used extreme force and that he violated Matthew’s human rights.

Lawyers for Matthew’s estate said in a complaint that the officer “reverted to the use of excessive force and shot his departmental issued handgun from defendant city of Dearborn a total of nine times into the chest and torso of … Kevin Matthew and, in essence, executing (him) … as a result of his failing to stop during the aforesaid foot pursuit.”

Police suspected Matthew’s involvement in a Dearborn robbery. He had a warrant in Redford Township and his mother, Valarie Johnson, said he had mental and emotional problems.

The lawsuit also alleges that police officers in Dearborn aren’t properly trained in dealing with mental health suspects and that police “undertake unlawful and unequal treatment” against African Americans in and around Dearborn.

Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad said he hadn’t seen the lawsuit and declined to comment.

In April, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy told The Arab American News her office would be making an announcement on both investigations in “the coming weeks.”

However, the prosecutor’s office did not make any further statements on the cases since then.

On Wednesday, Wayne County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Maria Miller told The AANews that some forensic details were still being reviewed, but that an announcement would be coming “shortly.”

Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called both pending cases “unjust shootings.” After his death, Matthew’s family claimed that he was treated and abused like a “dog” during the confrontation.

“The Dearborn police never handled the two situations correctly,” Walid said. “Two African Americans who were unarmed were killed by the police. You know, there’s an issue of legacy that needs to be addressed in terms of racism against people of color.”

Walid said many community members recognize that racism is engrained in the Dearborn government.

“This phenomenon goes back decades,” he said. “Although there are some well-meaning people inside of the Dearborn government, it appears to many in the community that there’s some deep-seated institutionalized racism back there.”

He said if the Dearborn government has nothing to hide, then it should welcome the Department of Justice’s investigation.

Both incidents led to numerous protests, lawsuits from both families and an intervention from the Department of Justice.