The attorney for the family of Aiyana Jones, a 7-year-old girl who was shot and killed in a police raid, has been quite vocal in stating that the Detroit police engaged in a cover-up when the little girl was shot.

"The entire incident has been a cover-up," said Geoffrey Fieger. "The rest of the truth will come out."

An independent autopsy was done, showing that Aiyana was shot through the top of the head, and not through the neck, as police originally claimed. This finding supports the family's claim that Jones was sleeping on the couch when the raid took place (depicted below).

The attorney is also arguing that the video from the reality TV show being shot during the raid shows that the shots were taken from the front porch and not inside the house. Police originally stated that the girl's grandmother struggled with officers as they entered the home, causing the gun to accidentally discharge.

"When officers entered the house, she was already shot," said Fieger. "It's also clear there is no time for a scuffle."

The second autopsy had results that differed from those released by the Wayne County medical examiner, who originally listed the child's cause of death to be a gunshot wound through the neck.

"He shot purposely," Fieger said. "I'm not suggesting he knew what he was shooting at. What he was aiming at, I can't tell you."

I spoke to a seasoned police officer about the shooting the other day, just to get a sense of proper procedure during a police raid. I wanted to get this officer's perspective, since he'd been a commander on a SWAT team and also tends to defend police in almost every situation I describe to him. He's a "cops' cop" or someone who believes strongly in the sanctity of the blue line and is difficult to convince that the police are ever in the wrong.

To my astonishment, this officer saw several problems with the situation in Detroit, or at very least, a significant number of reasons to be concerned. I'll lay them out one by one:

1) Reality TV cameras have no business going on a police raid, especially with children involved. This breeds a cowboy-like atmosphere and creates what my friend calls "Hollywood cops." It may have been the case that officers felt this was going to be an easy raid, and that the A&E film crew could get some good footage in the process. It is understandable that a city as economically challenged as Detroit might consider making some extra money by being on television, but this quest for a little extra cash may cost them big money in a civil lawsuit.

2) Proper police surveillance should have led the officers to know that a child was in the house. My friend, who is also an officer, described the intricate and substantial work police often go through in order to prepare for a raid. He said that they would sometimes spend days staking out the home of a suspect to ensure that they know who's inside the home, where the rooms are located and what might happen when they enter. It appears to be the case that the Detroit police didn't do their homework or perhaps didn't have the resources to pay for necessary surveillance.

3) The use of a flash-bang grenade appears to be uncalled for, especially with children present. One wonders if the use of the grenade was driven by a desire to impress the TV cameras. There are a multitude of ways to get a suspect out of a home, and a grenade is not the only method available for officers to use. The loud noise and spark from the grenade can burn innocent bystanders, and it angers me that this weapon was tossed anywhere near the place where a child was sleeping.

The Detroit police have a lot of explaining to do. I am admittedly skeptical of the words of Attorney Geoffrey Feiger, only because we all know that lawyers tend to use publicity and misleading statements to pressure the other party into a settlement. I'd personally like to see the evidence presented in court before we decide for sure that there was wrong-doing by the police. At the very least, most of us can agree that this raid was ill-conceived, and the police should have shown greater care in the desire to protect young children.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the new book 'Black American Money.' To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.