Overview
- The shooting occurred at a west-side block party on June 1, 2024, when Officer Verona Shaw fired multiple rounds into a crowded backyard, striking 19-year-old Rain Williams and at least three other bystanders.
- Williams suffered gunshot wounds to the head and shoulder, underwent brain surgery, experienced strokes, and now has a permanent brain injury with limited speech and mobility.
- Williams’ family filed a gross-negligence lawsuit naming Shaw as the sole defendant on March 20, 2026, and plaintiffs announced the suit publicly on June 17, 2026 to press for accountability.
- Plaintiffs say Shaw’s body-worn camera shows she was the only officer who fired and that Michigan State Police ballistics matched bullets recovered to her duty firearm, while the Wayne County Prosecutor declined criminal charges citing lawful self-defense.
- Shaw’s legal team asserts governmental immunity and blames the party host as a possible third-party wrongdoer, and plaintiffs say civil subpoenas are now needed to obtain videos and documents they could not get through public records requests.