De'von Bailey
Birth date:
August 18, 1999
Death date:
August 3, 2019
Age at Death:
19
About
De'von Bailey was loved by his family including his father, Greg Bailey, his mother Delisha Searcy and 10 siblings. His obituary highlights the loss of this young man, sharing "De’Von was a loving individual who was always willing to take care of others before himself. His lifelong goal and dream in life was to go pro in either the NFL or NBA. He wanted to take care of his family and leave them worry free. He encouraged peopled to do what’s right no matter what the circumstances were. His siblings were his breath of fresh air and continuous motivation. De’Von has left here physically, but his spirit will always live on."
On August 3, two officers Sgt. Alan Van't Land and Officer Blake Evenson shot and killed Bailey after they stopped him and another man on the street and questioned them about an alleged armed robbery. Body-cam footage recorded Bailey running away from officers during the stop, who then shot Bailey in the back three times. He later died in the hospital. Officers found a gun in his pants immediately after shooting him, though attorneys for Bailey’s family argued the footage showed he wasn’t a threat to the officers.
Was justice served?
Justice has not been served. The grand jury announced no criminal charges would be filed against the police officers involved. Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed a historic police reform bill into law, changing the "fleeing felon clause" that allows officers to shoot if the person running is believed to have committed a felony.Lawmakers argue it's the same clause that allowed Sgt. Alan Van't Land and Officer Blake Evenson to be cleared of any wrongdoing in the De'von Bailey shooting. In June of 2020, the family filed a federal lawsuit claiming his death violates the 1985 Supreme Court decision in Tennessee v. Garner, which states that use of deadly force to prevent the escape of a suspect is constitutionally unreasonable unless the suspect poses a significant threat.