Suspect who pointed gun at man holding baby charged • Child abused by babysitter dies • More top stories
THURSDAY NEWS HIT - A 1-year-old who was hospitalized after his babysitter allegedly abused him has died.
The Roseville boy named Kyrie was with Kimora Hodges on June 13 when the alleged abuse happened. His mother, Taylor Starks, said Hodges messaged her about her son. At first, she said Kyrie had eaten soap and was having an allergic reaction. She rushed home to her son.
"Once I made it there my baby was on the ground having seizure, after seizure, after seizure," she said.
Kyrie was hospitalized with no brain activity and died Wednesday.
"All I know is she threw my son into the wall and shook him up pretty bad, and they said that's just a bit of what she did to him," Starks said.
Hodges was charged with first-degree child abuse. Since Kyrie has died, those charges will now be upgraded.
Hodges has prior domestic violence convictions. She is being held on a $250,000 bond, no 10%
A GoFundMe page has been set up.
Suspect charged after pointing gun at man holding baby
Earlier this week, Detroit police asked for help finding a man seen on gas station surveillance video pointing a gun at a man who was holding a baby.
They later arrested the suspect, Eric Butler, who is now facing felonious assault, felony firearm, and brandishing a firearm in public.charges.
According to police, Butler followed the 27-year-old father into the gas station after the two got into an argument about a block away from the gas station on Hubbell and Tireman.
The gas station is part of Project Green Light and surveillance video showed the suspect entering the gas station, racking the slide, and pointing it at the man, who was holding his 7-month-old son.
The dad quickly slapped the gun away, while still holding his baby, and Butler backed out of the gas station. Video showed him messing with the gun outside the store, as if it had jammed in some way.
Berkley councilman faces backlash after Pride comments
Some Berkley residents are calling for a city councilman to resign after he voted against a Pride Block Party.
Dennis Hennen cited religion as his reason for voting no for the event.
"It's my deeply held religious conviction that homosexuality is wrong, and to be clear, this is not some sort of homophobia. For example, I feel equally about all kinds of sin," he said. "There are many things that come before council that I personally find objectionable, and I can accept those when the source is private, but I must draw the line at a city-run event that requires my personal endorsement."
The rest of the council voted yes and some explained why.
Hennen later posted an apology video to his Facebook page.
"I am truly sorry, I realize I have a lot to learn and I know some may doubt the sincerity of this apology, but I offer it to make amends and humbly ask for forgiveness for the hurt that I caused," he said.
Residents filled a council meeting Monday to express their thoughts and ask for him to resign.
Man caught shipping fentanyl in cat litter
A Romulus man is accused of hiding 110 grams of fentanyl in a box of cat litter and shipping it through the mail.
The investigation started on Aug. 19, 2021 when a USPS investigator pulled a large flat rate box with priority labeling that was being sent to a Jacob Dupree in Romulus and came from a Shannon Burkhead in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The package was mailed on Aug. 18 and weight about 5 pounds. It cost almost $73 in postage and fees for the priority package to be shipped. According to the federal investigation, there is no Shannon Burkhead at the Arizona address, nor is there a Jacob Dupree at the Romulus address.
A K-9 was used to sniff the package and detected something illegal was inside. A search warrant was obtained and officials said they found kitty litter and a plastic wrapped bag of blue pills, later determined to be fentanyl.
The phone number used to track the package and contact USPS was connected to Dazzman Dupree.
Two months, a shooting and car crash in Garden City led police to Dazzman Dupreee.
What else we're watching
- Accused Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley will appear in court Thursday for a pre-trial hearing. Each month, a judge reviews whether he should remain in the Oakland County Jail since he is a juvenile.
- Three Michigan beaches are closed, including one in Oakland County, due to bacteria levels.
- The man who killed Renisha McBride in 2013 received the same punishment during re-sentencing Wednesday.
- A historic West Village Detroit home is being torn down for apartments.
- The historic Holly Hotel, which burned Tuesday, is known for ghost stories and paranormal experiences. Check out some of its history here.
Live on FOX 2
Daily forecast
Temperatures won't get as hot as they've been, but we will be back to almost 90 on Friday.
Biden calls for gas tax suspension
President Joe Biden called on Congress to suspend federal gasoline and diesel taxes for three months — an election-year move meant to ease financial pressures at the pump that was greeted with doubts by many lawmakers.
The Democratic president also called on states to suspend their own gas taxes or provide similar relief, and he delivered a public critique of the energy industry for prioritizing profits over production. It would take action by lawmakers in Washington and in statehouses across the country to actually bring relief to consumers.
"It doesn’t reduce all the pain but it will be a big help," Biden said, using the bully pulpit when his administration believes it has run out of direct levers to address soaring gas prices. "I’m doing my part. I want Congress, states and industry to do their part as well."