3rd death in Harper Woods standoff • Pickup truck sliced in half in Dearborn Heights • Stolen ice cream truck
Harper Woods man who allegedly killed girlfriend, family while out on bond in front of judge Wednesday
The man connected to a standoff in Harper Woods in mid-July where two people died and a third was critically injured is expected to see his charges elevated after the third victim succumbed to her injuries over the weekend. Jonathan Welch was arrested in his mom's home last Monday.
TUESDAY NEWS HIT - A Harper Woods man already facing a slew of charges after a standoff with police ended with at least two people dead is expected to see them elevated after a third victim died from her injuries.
Jonathan Welch, 23, was arrested after he allegedly killed his ex-girlfriend and step-dad, stabbed his mom, before barricading himself in her home earlier in July. Police that entered the home later discovered he at attempted to start a fire in one of the rooms.
Welch was out on low bond and living with his mom after he was charged with torture and sexual assault following an incident with his then-girlfriend in June. The family of Flossie Nicole Bray, Welch's mom, was critical of the court system that allowed the suspect out of jail as he awaited his next hearing in front of a judge.
Bray was one of three victims from the July 11 incident that escalated from a domestic dispute into a standoff with police. She reportedly was stabbed by Welch before fleeing to her neighbor's home and asked her to call police.
SWAT teams were called to the home where Welch had barricaded himself inside. He shot at police and attempted to start a fire in an upstairs room before law enforcement breached the home seven hours after it started.
It was later determined Welch had killed Zlayiah Frazer, his ex-girlfriend, and his step-dad. He did put his son outside the home before barricading himself inside.
Bray was put on life support after being stabbed. Family had hoped she would pull through her injuries after being hospitalized. She succumbed over the weekend. Family is now partly pinning the deaths on the court after Welch managed to post bond for charges connected to a previous assault of his girlfriend in June.
In a court hearing after the alleged murders, the judge acknowledged the missteps contributed to the deaths.
"I know it’s far too little far too late," said Judge Kenneth King last week.
"They let him out of jail, he killed my sister, he killed my sister," Frazer's sister Breonna told FOX 2 Monday. "They should’ve never let him out of prison. I don't have nothing else to say."
Welch is now charged with 19 counts including first-degree murder. This time he has no bond.
"Because he was not incarcerated she is now dead, his father is now dead, his mother is in a hospital bed," said Attorney James Galen, Jr. "He’s got a baby out there that most likely will never see his father again and will never have a chance to know the baby's mother."
U.S. House to vote on bills protecting same-sex and interracial marriages
The House is set to vote to protect same-sex and interracial marriages, a direct confrontation with the Supreme Court, whose conservative majority in overturning Roe v. Wade abortion access has sparked concerns that other rights enjoyed by countless Americans may be in jeopardy.
Tuesday's vote in the House is part political strategy setting up an election-year roll call that will force all lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats, to go on the record with their views on the high-profile social issue. It's also part of the legislative branch asserting its authority, pushing back against an aggressive court that appears intent on revisiting many settled U.S. laws.
While the Respect for Marriage Act is expected to pass the House, it is almost certain to stall in the Senate, where most Republicans would surely block it. It's one of several bills, including those enshrining abortion access, that Democrats are pushing to confront the court's conservative majority. Another bill, guaranteeing access to contraceptive services, is set for a vote later this week.
The Respect for Marriage Act would repeal a leftover law still on the books from the Clinton era that defines marriage as a heterogeneous relationship between man and woman. It would also provide legal protections for interracial marriages by prohibiting any state from denying out-of-state marriage licenses and benefits on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity or national origin.
Read more about what bills the House will be voting on this week here.
2nd Air Quality Alert in two days for Southeast Michigan
Southeast Michigan is under an air quality alert for the second day in a row, leading to requests from the state for people and businesses to avoid activities that could lead to ozone formation.
An Action day for elevated ozone levels was declared for St. Clair, Livingston, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Wayne, and Monroe counties, the state announced Monday, extending the alert into Tuesday.
The alert means the state department that oversees the environment is urging people to avoid activities like using gasoline-powered law equipment and charcoal lighter fluid. If drivers can, they're asked to avoid refueling their vehicles or topping off when refueling.
Instead, biking to work, delaying errands, and using water-based paints is advised. Additionally, children and adults with respiratory illnesses are asked to limit outdoor exertion. Air testing of sites in southern Detroit show multiple locations with elevated levels of particulate matter in the air.
Read more about air quality alerts and what they mean here.
Pickup truck sliced in half by man driving 100 mph in Dearborn Heights
A man who police say was driving about 100 mph on Telegraph in Dearborn Heights caused crash that sliced a pickup truck in half. Police said the 32-year-old Inkster man was speeding in a Mercedes when he hit a Ford F-150 south of Joy Road around 11:30 p.m.
The driver of the Mercedes and a 41-year-old Detroit man who was driving the truck are both listed as stable at hospitals. Two passengers in the Mercedes, a 32-year-old Canton man and a 26-year-old Inkster man, are in critical condition. The police department will submit the case to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
Another man not involved in the crash was arrested after police say he drove around flares and emergency vehicles into the crash scene and almost hit officers. Police were reconstructing the crash around 1:30 a.m. when the Dodge Charger driven by a 20-year-old Detroit man swerved off the road, just missing a squad car, a tow truck, and officers.
After stopping, the man resisted arrest, police said. He was taken into custody on suspicion of drunken driving, and taken to a hospital for a cut on his chin. Police intend to seek charges pending blood test results.
See images from the wreck here.
Family plans to start business from scratch after ice cream truck stolen in Detroit
Alonna Harris is a Detroit mother who wanted to give her 4-year-old son Jalon an early start on learning the value of a dollar, so she transformed a van into an ice cream truck.
"We wanted to do something for him just so he could get that entrepreneurship learning mindset," she said. "It’s nontraditional, but it helps out. We have a lot of different schools that we work with and nonprofit organizations."
However, on Sunday someone stole the Jalon's Treats and Sweets ice cream truck while it was parked near 7 Mile and Telegraph on Detroit's west side. "I really think that it’s more greed right now I don’t even think anyone is really realizing the fact that they’re taking from someone that’s trying to build or teach," Harris said.
Jalon is sad someone would steal his truck. "The truck is gone. I want it back. I’m so sad. I just want it because I want to make money," Jalon said. While the family hopes to get the stolen ice cream truck back, they said they have plans to keep going regardless. A GoFundMe page has been set up. The money will used to either buy a new truck or renovate the old one, if found.
See what the family had to say about their ice cream truck business here.
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What else we're watching
- It's Senior Friendship Day at the Detroit Riverfront Tuesday. The annual event returns to the Aretha Franklin Amphitheater today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- The official redesign of Roosevelt Park is set to begin Tuesday with the remodeling of the 13-acre park, which is located near the Michigan Central Station redevelopment.
- As part of the rising heat index today, it would be wise to keep a lookout for one's pets. FOX 2 will have tips on keeping your pets cool this summer with a segment Tuesday morning during The Nine.
- Plenty of polling figures are being released on the state of elections in the governor's race in Michigan. Among the greatest consensus is just how unsettled races in both the 13th District for Congress and the Republican nomination for governor are. Polling from Detroit News/WDIV, as well as the Detroit Free Press reveal as much.
- Could Detroit be in for a new Intermodal Facility? Plans from MDOT reveal the department is in the early stages of assessing what centralizing both bus and train station stops would look like on Woodward and Amsterdam Street.
Daily Forecast
It's going to be another hot one Tuesday as Southeast Michigan eyes some of its highest temperatures of the year this week. Plan on humidity helping elevate the heat index in Southeast Michigan into the mid-90s today and tomorrow.
UK shatters its record for highest temperature ever registered as heat wave hits Europe
Britain shattered its record for highest temperature ever registered Tuesday, with a provisional reading of 39.1 degrees Celsius (102.4 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the country's weather office — and the heat was only expected to rise.
The highest temperature previously recorded in Britain was 38.7 C (101.7 F), a record set in 2019. Tuesday's record was in Charlwood, England.
"Temperatures are likely to rise further through today,’’ the forecaster said.
The high Tuesday came as the country sweltered in heat that also scorched mainland Europe for the past week. Travel, health care and schools were disrupted in a country not prepared for such extremes.