Boys living on porch now out of cold • Messy evening commute expected • Fatal shooting at illegal dispensary

WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - Two boys who have been sleeping on the porch of a Detroit home while their parents live inside the house are now in a warm home.

Police said the 12- and 15-year-old boys are staying with family friends after officers visited the west side home on Monday night. Now, the police department and Child Protective Services are working with the family to reach a long-term solution.

One of the boys told 7 Mile Radio host Marc D’Andre that he has been sleeping on the porch for five months with his brother sometimes joining him. Their parents live inside the home.

Neighbors confirm this, saying they were told it was a punishment for the kids.

Detroit spent hours at the home speaking to the parents on Monday night before the children were moved to another home.

An investigation is ongoing, and the findings could be sent to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office for potential charges. 

Messy evening commute expected

Winter weather is on the way, and though not a lot of accumulation is forecasted, it's still going to be an impactful snowfall.

Light snow will fall early this morning along and north of I-69, with just a passing flurry elsewhere. The best chance for snow arrives this evening and tonight. 

Brief but intense snow showers could create whiteout conditions, leading to tricky travel.

While totals will be limited to around an inch, road issues are likely due to quick bursts of snow and icy conditions. The National Weather Service forecasts that the area will see snow squalls between 6-11 p.m.

A few lingering snow showers—some heavy—stick around Thursday, paired with brutal wind chills dropping to the single digits in the morning. 

 

No charges in court bailiff shooting

Prosecutors in Wayne County say no charges will be issued against a court bailiff who shot an armed man during an eviction in July.

The prosecutors say the bailiff acted in lawful self-defense when they were attacked by an armed man in the 1700 block of Manderson near Whitmore.

On July 12, two Detroit police officers met with the bailiff, who was trying to evict the man without success, saying the resident was being aggressive. All three went to the apartment and breached through the door where officers attempted to explain to the man, Sherman Butler, 44, that he was being evicted.

According to authorities, Butler was sitting on a bed holding a box cutter next to his neck. He was angry and officials say he refused to leave the apartment, saying that the only way he was leaving was if the police killed him.

Officers told Butler to drop the box cutter several times, but he refused. 

"Under Michigan law, an individual is allowed to use force, including deadly force, when necessary to protect themselves and in defense of others," prosecutors wrote in a press release announcing the decision. 

Firefighters rally for mandatory staffing

Firefighters from across Michigan are rallying at the capitol fighting for House Bill 4688, which would allow for mandatory staffing levels to be a part of collective bargaining agreements.

"When our firefighters are showing up on your darkest day, and we’re understaffed, we can’t make that difference," said Matthew Sahr, president of Michigan Professional Firefighters.

Sahr says Michigan is understaffed across the board and that leads to bigger risks for resident safety.

"Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, they all have well over 100 firefighters per 100,000 residents. In Michigan, we have just 50 professional firefighters per 100,000 residents. To me that’s unacceptable."

The bill was introduced all the way back in May, went to committee — and hasn't moved much. The firefighters are hoping for a vote.

Fatal shooting at illegal dispensary

One man died Tuesday in a shooting at what Detroit police say is an illegal marijuana dispensary.

Police said an attempted robbery at the building on Schoenherr near State Fair led to a shootout that ended with one dead and another person wounded. After the shootout, those would-be robbers rushed away from the scene, one of them showing up at a nearby hospital with bullet holes.

 Some friends of the victim killed say he owned the building and would rent it out to others to use.

"He rented the place, so I don’t know if he knows, when you rent it out what a person doing," they said. "He’s a good guy. I don’t see why anyone would want to do this to him."

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

Snow is on the way as the temperatures stayed frigid.

What else we're watching

1. Republican State Rep. Josh Schriver of Oxford is calling for gay marriage to be banned. He said it on social media before doubling down with a statement. 
2. A Michigan man linked to two rape cases that had gone cold for decades entered a no contest plea for one of the crimes. According to court records, Kurt Alan Rillema, 52, pleaded no contest to third and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.
3. A Waterford man allegedly used drugs and violence to keep two women trapped in sex trafficking. Police learned about the crimes when one of the victims told them about Quincy Lamar Bland.
4. Side Hustle Lounge in Detroit is transforming into an "Elf"-themed wonderland this holiday season. It opens Friday.
5. A pedestrian was hit and killed by two vehicles on the Southfield Freeway while running from police on Tuesday.

Trump seeks dismissal of hush money case, citing Hunter Biden's pardon

President-elect Donald Trump's hush money case is back in the spotlight after his lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his criminal conviction, arguing continuing the case would present unconstitutional "disruptions to the institution of the Presidency."

On Tuesday, a filing was made public showing Trump’s lawyers telling Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that dismissal is warranted because of the "overwhelming national mandate granted to him by the American people on November 5, 2024."

They also cited President Joe Biden’s recent pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of tax and gun charges.

"President Biden asserted that his son was ‘selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,’ and ‘treated differently,’" Trump’s legal team wrote. The Manhattan district attorney, they claimed, had engaged in the type of political theater "that President Biden condemned."