Detroit 4-year-old killed climbing ladder at playground: 'Didn't even get to go down the slide'

DETROIT (FOX 2) - When 4-year-old Samir Grubbs' mom, Jasmine, got to the park on Friday, she did it to give her youngest son of six a chance at fun in a space that's supposed to be safe and comfortable for all children. Instead, her young son didn't even get to go down the slide as he was killed in a drive-by shooting.

Jasmine Grubbs said her young son was "my world" and on Friday, she chose to bring him to Skinner Playfield near Denby High School last week. He raced out of the car to get to the playground.

"We were only at the park for a minute. he beat me out of the car because that was his thing," she said. 

But he barely got to the small playground made for kids his age.

"My baby didn't even get the chance to go down the slide. They got him while he was going up a ladder," Jasmine said.

Chief Todd Bettison said on Friday that Samir was shot in the back. 

She wasn't the only parent who lost a child. Joseph Shelmonson's 18-year-old son, Daviyon Shelmonson-Bey, died as he dove in front of a bullet trying to save kids at the playground.

"If you would have ever met my son, he was the helper. He always wanted to help somebody or adopt somebody as a little brother or a little sister. Me hearing about him jumping in front of a bullet was not a surprising thing," Joseph said.

Jasmine was exhausted on her day off. But on a hot day, instead of staying home, she took Samir to the park instead. Now she's begging for someone – anyone – to say something.

"That was my only off day and I chose to bring my baby to the park. I should have brought him home instead," she said. "Please find who did this to my baby."

On Monday, four days after the two young lives were lost, no suspects are in custody.

Deadly disease

Detroit responds:

The parents of the shooting victims spoke Monday afternoon at Skinner Park, just a few feet away from where Samir and Daviyon were killed around 6 p.m. on Friday.

They were joined by community organizers from Team Pursuit, Force Detroit, Dignity for Detroit, and dozens of others.

Team Pursuit executive director Quincy Smith said the problem is the guns in the community – and the solution is clear: organizations like theirs need funding and support from the state.

"We are tired and we are sick of this deadly disease," he said. "This should not have happened."

Zoe Kennedy from Force Detroit took it a step further.

"If anybody in these communities are shooting around children, you are no different than a person who will sexually abuse them or physically abuse them," the organization's executive director said. "If you see children out here, control yourself. You do not have to get that person that bad where you harm our babies and cost them their lives before they even understand what they're living for."

"You're hypocrites!"

A fiery message from Teferi Brent was directed to the faith leaders in the city. 

"Schools, churches, playgrounds – off limits. It's a peace zone," he said. "That's a safe space. When did we make safe spaces unsafe spaces. We send our children to schools and playgrounds to be safe."

Brent said Black men need to be doing more each and every day to teach their children.

"How can we call oursevels men if we can't esnure that our children safe?"

Brent, a community activist in the city, said the religious leaders need to pushing more peace.

"To my church brothers and sisters, to the clergy, your Bible, my Bible says strive for peace and promote it. It says blessed is the peacemaker for he is the son of God. Your Bible, my Bible says that Jesus is the prince of peace. How in the hell can you claim to love the lord and you ain't out here making sure your baby's safe?" he said.

"You're hypocrites!" I'm holding you accountable. God is holding you accountable – for not making sure our babies are safe. That is our primary responsibility!"

He then laid the blame of the murders at the feet of state and local lawmakers, naming Representative Mike Mueller, Speaker of the House Matt Hall, Representative Karen Whitsett, and former speaker Joe Tate.

"Quit playing politics with Black people's lives. This ain't no damn game. This ain't no partisan issue. This is the most nonpartisan issue on the planet," he said. "If y'all can't get this right, Republicans, Democrats Democrats If y'all can't get this right you ain't worth a damn. you might as well quit because you ain't fit to serve the people. "

"We have to do better"

Sandra Turner-Handy has lived in the Denby community for the past 25 years. She was key to building the park and listened to the students of Denby High School for where to place everything in the greenspace.

"We've got two basketball courts in the middle of the field because the young people told us 'don't put them on the edge because people are going to drive-by and stuff is going to get started' and everything can happen," she said. " Who would have thought that someone was senseless enough to shoot by a playscape. A playscape where babies are playing?"

The park was built in 2016 and Turner-Handy said it's been a crime deterrent for the past 9 years. Now it's time for the community to step up and do something.

"We all have a right to live without being afraid to bring our babies to a park," she said. "We have got to do better. We have got to stand up and we have got to do better."

What you can do:

If you know something, call 1-800-CRIMESTOPPERS.

Team Pursuit is urging neighbors to come together now to do something about gun violence in the city. To learn more, check out their site here.