A former Detroit police officer charged with manslaughter for fatally punching a 71-year-old man in the face appeared in court on Wednesday. The accusations originate from a Sept. 1 confrontation at Garden Bowl, a bowling alley, between Juwan Marquise-Alexander Brown, 29, and the elderly man, who was being disruptive and refused to leave the building. Prosecutors stated that Brown’s blow caused the victim to hit his head on the ground. The man, who was later identified as Daryl Vance, was taken to a hospital and died nearly three weeks later. A medical examiner declared his cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head. Brown was suspended a day after the incident when police analyzed body camera footage, according to The Detroit News. He was terminated at a later date, but the Detroit Police Department told NBC News that Brown was appealing the decision. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced on Tuesday that Brown faces a 15-year prison sentence, if convicted, stating that his “actions were criminally beyond what was necessary in this situation” and “cannot be tolerated.”
