2 killed during EMS response on I-75 • Teen fatally shoots Detroit man • Blinken renews call for Paul Whelan
MONDAY NEWS HIT - Two people died in a tragic collision on a Metro Detroit highway over the weekend when an ambulance worker responding to a crash Sunday morning was struck by another driver.
Both the first responder and an Oak Park woman were killed after a vehicle lost control and hit both of them.
Michigan State Police say the woman was declared dead at the scene and the EMS worker was pronounced dead when he arrived at a hospital.
"If you see an emergency vehicle with its lights on, slow down 10mph below the speed limit and move over. It really is that simple," said First Lieutenant Mike Shaw with MSP. "Our prayers go out to both families dealing with this tragedy."
The fatal collision happened early Sunday morning around 2:15 a.m. when a private ambulance was traveling northbound on I-75 when they stopped to check on a single-car crash. The occupant of the vehicle, identified as a 36-year-old resident of Oak Park, was walking around the crashed vehicle.
MSP said the first responder was helping the woman when another vehicle driven by a 58-year-old man from Washington in Macomb County spun out and hit both the people.
The crash happened near Caniff, on the border between Detroit and Hamtramck, police said.
The incident has renewed calls for safer driving practices, especially in construction zones and in the presence of emergency vehicles. Fines and prison sentences rise in both locales when a crash occurs.
"We have construction going on on pretty much every single freeway in Metro Detroit and drivers - none of us are thrilled with it because we have to drive through it, but it's a necessary thing that we take care of the roads," said Diane Cross, a spokeswoman with MDOT.
Either we close lanes to fix the roads or we have to close the roads because they're not safe to drive on. You gotta slow down, you gotta pay attention," she said. "We want everyone to get home every night."
Those found at fault for a crash in a construction zone that kills a worker face up to 15 years in prison. Those that don't move over for an emergency vehicle can be fined $400.
Teen fatally shoots Detroit man after argument
Detroit police are investigating a fatal shooting that took place Monday morning involving a teen suspect. The department confirmed the shooting was fatal, though didn't go into too many details regarding the events that unfolded ahead of the incident.
According to FOX 2's Charlie Langton, the shooter was 14 years old. A dispute between the teen and a 46-year-old man happened early Monday morning around 2:50 a.m.
It happened on Cheyenne Street, near Chicago and Schafer on the city's west side. Family of the deceased were also on the scene. They were seen speaking to police.
No other details were released.
Blinken urges Russia to release Whelan, WSJ reporter
The U.S. Secretary of State urged his Russian counterpart to immediately release both a Wall Street Journal reporter and Paul Whelan, the jailed Novi native who has been in incarcerated in the country since 2019.
In Anthony Blinken's rare phone call with the Russian diplomat Sergey Lavrov, he conveyed "grave concern" over the newly ordered detention of journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was taken into custody on espionage allegations.
Russia has continually held Americans in jail before trying them on trumped-up charges. Last year, they arrested WNBA Star Brittney Griner before convicting her for drug trafficking. She was released in exchange for an arms dealer who had been jailed in the U.S. for years.
In its summary of the call, Russia’s foreign ministry said Lavrov "drew Blinken’s attention to the need to respect the decisions of the Russian authorities" about Gershkovich, whom Moscow claims, without evidence, "was caught red-handed."
First Lady Jill Biden traveling to Michigan
First Lady Jill Biden is coming to Michigan Monday as part of the president's Investing in America Tour.
Biden will be focusing on programs that help ready high school and community college students for jobs that will open up in the coming years. She'll be joined by the education secretary for part of the tour.
It plans to visit Delta College, near Bay City. She's made previous trips to the state in past months, prioritizing her visits to have an education focus. It is confirmed she'll be in Michigan on Monday, April 3.
She plans to speak around 3 p.m.
Gas prices tick back up in Michigan
Michigan motorists are facing another round of rising gas prices.
According to AAA, the price for a gallon of gas went up 14 cents over the past week and drivers are now paying on average $3.52 in Michigan. It's climbed about 21 cents since last month.
The Energy Information Administration said demand ahead of the summer has tipped the scales and forced prices upwards.
The cheapest gas in Michigan is in Metro Detroit, where it's three cents less than the state average. Benton Harbor has the most expensive gas.
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Daily Forecast
Temperatures are going to pivot toward warmer conditions this week, with Monday expected to hit 60 and Wednesday to hit 70. However, we'll pay the price for the warmth with likely rain that will fall overnight. Read the latest here.
What else we're watching
- The Detroit Tigers were swept in their first series of the MLB season, losing three straight games to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Tigers were outscored 21-3 during the series - an ominous start for the team.
- The MSU Union reopens Monday. It's been closed since the mass shooting at Michigan State campus that closed both it and Berkey Hall after three people were murdered.
- Former President Donald Trump is expected to face at least one felony following an indictment handed up from a grand jury in New York. It's the first time a former president has ever been charged with a crime. He's expected to be arraigned in court on Tuesday.
- A baby was born in a Costco Wholesale's parking lot two weekends ago. According to reporting from MLive, the department store's location in Brighton hosted the baby's birth.
- Yard waste collection has returned to Detroit as the warm season starts to tip the scales. Residents can set out bagged or bundled leaves and brush beginning April 3.
Pandemic pounds pushed thousands of U.S. Army soldiers into obesity
After gaining 30 pounds during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Murillo is finally getting back into fighting shape.
arly pandemic lockdowns, endless hours on his laptop and heightened stress led Murillo, 27, to reach for cookies and chips in the barracks at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Gyms were closed, organized exercise was out and Murillo's motivation to work out on his own was low.
Murillo wasn't the only service member dealing with extra weight. New research found that obesity in the U.S. military surged during the pandemic. In the Army alone, nearly 10,000 active duty soldiers developed obesity between February 2019 and June 2021, pushing the rate to nearly a quarter of the troops studied. Increases were seen in the U.S. Navy and the Marines, too.