Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Jaquan Kiante Fletcher
Age : 32
Gender : Male
Race : Black
Date : 08/18/2023
Location : North Roselawn Street and Maines Drive
City : Pontiac
County : Oakland
State : Michigan
Agency : Oakland County Sheriff’s Office
Officer(s) :James Richardson
Cause of Death : Gunshot
Event : Killed by police during investigation of vehicle blocking driveway
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 08/18/2023, at approximately 5:48 a.m., Oakland County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to North Roselawn Street and Maines Drive in Pontiac after a resident reported an unknown Dodge Charger blocking a driveway. Deputies arrived at approximately 5:54 a.m. and found 32-year-old Jaquan Fletcher asleep in the driver’s seat with the vehicle running. Fletcher’s family subsequently publicly identified him.
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One deputy approached the driver’s side and another approached the passenger side. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the driver’s-side deputy opened the unlocked door after attempts to make contact with Fletcher were unsuccessful. The deputy reported seeing a handgun beside Fletcher, removed the gun from the vehicle and placed it on the roof.
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The deputy then ordered Fletcher to place his hands behind his back. The passenger-side deputy opened the other door and partially entered the Charger. Police alleged that Fletcher resisted being detained and did not comply with their directions.
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According to the Sheriff’s Office, Fletcher put the Charger into gear and accelerated while the passenger-side deputy was partially inside the vehicle. The Charger struck a sheriff’s patrol vehicle, a curb and a street sign.
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The passenger-side deputy fired a single gunshot at Fletcher from close range while partially inside the moving Charger. Fletcher was struck and the vehicle came to a stop.
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Fletcher was transported to a hospital, where he died from the gunshot wound. The deputy who shot him sustained minor injuries and was also taken to a hospital.
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Sheriff Michael Bouchard said deputies did not know Fletcher’s criminal or parole status when they initially approached the vehicle. After the shooting, investigators determined that Fletcher had been released from prison on parole on 06/21/2023 and remained under parole supervision through September 2024. Police also reported that the .45-caliber Glock recovered from the Charger had been reported stolen in Atlanta.
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Body-camera footage captured the encounter. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office placed the deputy who fired the fatal shot on paid administrative leave while the shooting was investigated.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
James Richardson was an Oakland County Sheriff’s Office deputy who fired the single shot that killed Jaquan Fletcher on 08/18/2023. Fletcher’s estate subsequently filed a federal wrongful-death/civil-rights lawsuit against Oakland County and Richardson. The case, Vance v. County of Oakland et al., was filed on 02/23/2024 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Federal court records specifically identify Richardson as a defendant and confirm that the litigation concerns his use of deadly force against Fletcher.
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The Fletcher litigation remained active well beyond its initial filing. During 2025 discovery, Fletcher’s estate sought records concerning the determination that Richardson's deadly force was proper, as well as Oakland County Sheriff's Office investigative records involving deadly-force incidents over a ten-year period. A July 2025 federal court order states that the county agreed to produce the requested deadly-force investigative information
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.wxyz.com/news/suspect-killed-deputy-injured-in-morning-incident-in-pontiac
https://www.wxyz.com/news/man-shot-killed-by-police-after-pulling-gun-on-officer-in-detroit
