ICE Agent's Attorney Defends Shooting; County Withholds Autopsy Report

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The lawyer for a federal agent who shot and killed an armed robbery suspect last week said Monday the shooting was “by the book” and an act of self-defense after a hammer-wielding suspect charged at him.

In an interview with the Detroit Free Press, attorney David Griem told U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officer Mitchell Quinn’s version of what happened on April 27 when Terrance Kellom, 20, was fatally shot and killed.

Quinn, who was part of a fugitive apprehension task force, was outside the house when officers inside requested backup to assist in arresting Kellom, who was hiding in the attic and was armed with a hammer, Griem said.

When Quinn entered, he heard an officer in the attic shouting, “Put it down. Put it down.”

According to Griem, Kellom allegedly tried to escape through the floor of the attic. When Quinn investigated a heavy noise he heard coming from a back room in the doorway, a hand reached out from behind a blanket that had been thumbtacked in place in absence of a door. When Quinn pushed the blanket away, Kellom rushed through, brandishing the hammer over his head. Quinn backed up, pulled out his revolver, ordered Kellom to put his hands up, then shot as Kellom continued to approach. Kellom fell forward, on top of Quinn.

At one point, Griem said, Kellom was within touching distance, still waving the hammer.

Quinn is “ very sorry that someone has died,” said Griem, who was retained to represent Quinn by a federal agency because Kellom’s family is expected to file a lawsuit. Quinn reportedly said he doesn’t think he needs a lawyer.

“But he believes that he went by the book,” Griem said. “The shoot was a righteous shoot. And there certainly is not going to be any criminal case made of this.”

Kellom’s father, Kevin Kellom, has said that his son didn’t have a hammer, but a search warrant return he provided to The Detroit News revealed a claw hammer with a wooden handle was among the items seized from the house in the 9700 block of Evergreen on the city’s west side.

Also seized were seven bullet casings, according to The Detroit News.

Kevin Kellom has previously said that his son was shot 10 times, but on Monday, the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office said the autopsy results will not be made available to the general public or to Karri Mitchell, the Kellom family’s attorney.

“The report is ready, but it’s being held indefinitely until further notice on orders from the prosecutor’s office,” William Kasper, the medical examiner’s chief investigator, said. “They don’t want it released.”

Related:

• ICE Officer Who Shot Suspect in Raid Criminally Charged in 2008
• Police: ICE Agent Fired Multiple Shots in Killing of Man Armed with Hammer

Kellom’s death has been ruled a homicide because of the multiple gunshot wounds, but that doesn’t automatically mean that Quinn will be charged when the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office and Michigan State Police complete their investigations.

“We believe the release of the information could interfere with our ability to investigate the case,” Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Maria Miller told the Detroit News.

She declined specifics when asked how releasing the autopsy report could interfere with the investigation.

Prosecutor’s Convenience vs. Public Trust

Detroit Police Commissioner Ricardo Moore told The Detroit News that failure to release the information could erode public trust.

“The prosecutor’s convenience in this investigation should not outweigh the public trust,” Moore said. “I strongly encourage Prosecutor (Kym) Worthy to release the autopsy report as expeditiously as possible.”

Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality president Ron Scott told The Detroit News he suspects there may be inflammatory information in the autopsy report.

“That’s the only reason I can think of why they wouldn’t want that report to be made public: There’s something that will make people highly upset about this, and in the wake of (riots in) Baltimore, they don’t want it out there,” he said.

Scott said that it’s important for Kellom’s family and community to know the facts before his funeral on Wednesday.

“I think there may be concern there’s something very challenging in this report,” he said.

Footage from two video cameras inside the Kellom residence may shed more light on what happened.

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Photo of Terrance Kellom via Twitter