By BYP100
Justice for Alonzo: A Family’s Demand for Truth, Transparency, and Accountability
For Immediate Release
Detroit, MI – On the evening of June 22, 2026, during the Ford Fireworks celebration, 18-year-old Alonzo Lee-Perkins – a young Black father, brother, and son – was shot multiple times by Detroit police officers. He was recently discharged from the hospital, recovering from three gunshot wounds: one in his back, one in the back of his shoulder, and one to his buttocks.
Today, his family is speaking out because the Detroit Police Department has refused to answer basic questions about what happened. DPD has ignored eight direct inquiries from local media. No body camera footage has been released. And Alonzo was held as a prisoner under police supervision in his hospital room for six days – despite having been charged with no crime at the time of his shooting.
This is not justice. This is not accountability. This is a cover-up.
What We Know – From the Family’s Account
Alonzo was cornered by police in a parking lot near Campus Martius, downtown Detroit. He did not brandish a weapon. Fearing for his life – as any young Black man would when confronted by armed officers – he ran.
Officers shot him in the back multiple times causing three wounds (one in his buttocks, one in his back, one in the back of his shoulder).
He was transported to a Detroit-based hospital not by EMS, but by an officer. Upon arrival, hospital staff referred to him as a “prisoner.” He had not yet been charged. He had not yet seen a judge. He had not even been read his rights.
For five days, his mother was denied access to her son. He received no phone call. No lawyer. No due process. During his hospital stay, he was treated as a criminal by officers – subjected to the very violence and disregard that put him there.
He is 18 years old. He has a 7-month-old daughter who needs her father. He has younger siblings who look up to him. His first interaction with police was a violent one – and now, after being released from police custody, he faces serious charges that the community believes are trumped up.
But Alonzo is more than a case number. He loves music. He loves being with his family and friends. He has a great sense of humor – the kind that makes people laugh even in hard times. He is a young man with dreams, with people who love him, and with a life ahead of him that nearly ended on a summer night.
Refuting the Police Narrative
The Detroit Police Department has offered vague, self-serving statements: an officer “feared for his safety.” Yet they refuse to say what prompted that fear. They claim he was “armed,” and are now charging him with “felonious assault on a police officer,” claiming he “bladed [sic]” a gun at an officer, but the evidence will show that Alonzo never evidence will show that Alonzo never brandished or threatened anyone with a weapon prior to police interaction or leading up to being shot by police.
There was no probable cause to initiate this stop. There was no warrant. This was racial profiling of a Black teenager – plain and simple. Alonzo was targeted because of his race, his age, and where he was. And when he ran – as anyone would when confronted by armed officers – he was shot in the back.
Police are not judges, juries, or executioners. They are not authorized to shoot people in the back and then call it a “successful” night.
A “Successful” Night?
Mayor Mary Sheffield called the fireworks night a “success.” Teferi Brent, the city’s director of neighborhood and community safety, said the shooting was “unfortunate” but that the night was otherwise a success.
We reject that framing.
Police leadership calls this a success because they want to criminalize youth. They want to frame over-policing as a solution – even in the most extreme cases. Herding over 180 teens onto buses, zip-tying their hands, and fining their parents is not success. It is a message: young Black people are not welcome downtown. And shooting Alonzo sends an even darker message: this is what could happen to you.
The city’s failure to provide actual resources, programming, and opportunity for young people is an abject failure. The lack of safe spaces, summer jobs, and recreational activities is the real crisis. But instead of investing in youth, the city invests in policing – and then calls it success when no one dies, even when someone nearly does.
Protecting Black youth is protecting the public. And this city has failed to protect Alonzo.
Community Response
The community has rallied around Alonzo and his family. Neighbors, organizers, and advocates have demanded answers, attended hearings, and spread the word about this miscarriage of justice. The family has shown extraordinary courage in the face of unimaginable pain – advocating for their son while navigating a system designed to crush them.
We stand with them. We will not look away.
Our Demands
The family of Alonzo – and the community that stands with them – demands the following:
- Release all body camera footage – immediately and without redaction.
- Drop all criminal charges against Alonzo.
- Fire and prosecute the officer responsible for this unjustified shooting.
- Do not protect the officer – no immunity, no cover-up, no internal affairs whitewash.
- A full apology from the City of Detroit – not just for the shooting, but for the narrative that criminalizes youth and calls this violence a “success.”
Support the Family
This family is fighting alone against a powerful system. They need our support – financially, emotionally, and politically.
Please donate to the Justice for Alonzo Legal Defense & Family Support Fund: https://www.supportnow.org/the-lee-perkins-family
Every dollar goes toward:
- Legal fees to fight the charges and hold DPD accountable
- Family support – transportation, lost wages, and basic needs
- Community advocacy to demand transparency and justice
Call to Action
This is not about one young man. This is about every Black youth in Detroit who has been taught to fear the police more than the dangers of the street.
We call on the community to:
- Demand answers – contact Mayor Sheffield, Chief Bettison, and City Council.
- Support the family – share this statement, attend actions, and donate to the fundraiser.
- Stay informed – follow @byp100_detroit and subscribe to our Substack for updates.
Justice for Alonzo is justice for all of us.
For media inquiries or to support the family, please contact:
Teddy White, BYP100 Detroit
teddy1619@proton.me; 313-344-6525
Let’s be clear: The Detroit Police Department shot an 18-year-old in the back. They denied his mother access for six days. They refused to release footage or answer basic questions. Now they are trying to criminalize him to justify their violence.
We will not look away.
Justice for Alonzo. Now.
