Ofc Mohamed Said's funeral • Delta outage traps elderly woman in Detroit • $1B Detroit housing investments

FRIDAY NEWS HIT - Mohamed Said, a Melvindale police officer who was gunned down Sunday, will be laid to rest Friday at a funeral expected to draw law enforcement officers from around the state and beyond.

A public funeral will be held from 9-10 a.m. Friday at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center before a ceremony at the American Moslem Society, also in Dearborn.

When Said's body is moved from the Performing Arts Center to the mosque, the processional will pass by his parents' house as a symbolic end of watch. Before every shift, Said made a point to drive past their home. Those wishing to watch the processional can see it from Oakwood between Allen and Schaefer Highway around 10 a.m.

On Thursday, the community filled a visitation for Said.

"I'm gonna miss him tremendously. He was like a son to me," Melvindale Police Chief Robert Kennaley said. "I met him in high school, and he said, ‘I want to be a police officer, so he’s going to be truly missed."

Michael Lopez, 44, is facing a long list of felony charges for the murder. He was arraigned Thursday in Melvindale's 24th District Court.

Judge breaks down while arraigning alleged cop killed

After an emotional arraignment for Judge Richard Page, the Melvindale judge said that the court would be handing over the case to another jurisdiction.

Page arraigned Lopez and remanded him to jail before announcing the decision.

The judge became emotional during the hearing as he described Said as "part of the court family."

Page said the court held a moment of silence for Said earlier this week. Page also said that the 24th District Court would be rearranging its schedule on Friday so that staff could attend Said's funeral.

"With all that, it’s not appropriate that we continue to handle this case," Page said.

Paperwork will be filed with the state to move the case to another court. A decision on which court will take the case is expected early next week.

Mothers of Detroit murder victims seek justice

Six mothers who have lost their children to gun violence in Detroit gathered Thursday as they continue to seek justice.

Five of the murders remain unsolved, while one is in court right now.

One of the mothers, Tabitha Nahabedian, said she remembers her daughter Hayden Davis as a "beautiful person."

Davis, who was a 28-year-old transgender nurse assistant, was murdered two years ago at Lesure Street and Fenkell Avenue, where a balloon release was held Thursday.

These moms, who have endured the pain of losing their children, became relentless crusaders against violent crime through their grassroots group "Mothers Keeping Boots on the Ground."

"It’s a great thing for me to know that I can be a help to other families that are going through what I'm going through," said Alisa Sanders, a mother who lost her son in December 2022. "It's a struggle everyday, but it helps me to know that I’m a blessing and a help for someone else."

Investment to bring affordable housing to Corktown

Mayor Mike Duggan and the city of Detroit are celebrating the housing investment that will bring 600 new affordable housing units to the growing area.

Over the past five years, Duggan and the city say they have invested $1 billion in affordable housing in the city. Duggan says this is just another way that Detroit is rebuilding differently.

"There’s no place else in the country where – in their hottest development – they’re building 600 new affordable units and moving people of low income into the neighborhood. That’s what we’re doing here in Detroit," Duggan said.

The new unit is called Preserve on Ash and will be built at 14th and Ash in Corktown.

Tricia Talley is with the North Corktown Neighborhood Association and said the timing is perfect.

"There is a rebirth and I think the timing could not be any better because all eyes are on Detroit," Talley said.

Delta tech outage causes ‘nightmare’ for elderly traveler

An elderly passenger is finally back home after encountering what her granddaughter described as a "nightmare" that had her stuck at Detroit Metro Airport for days.

Clara Nelson was trying to get home to Florida when Delta experienced a tech outage this week. Nelson was originally meant to fly out Monday morning. But instead, she was stranded at DTW until Wednesday.

"I’m so upset because, first of all, she got to the airport, and then I ordered a wheelchair for her. She was in the wheelchair, they took her down to the gate," her granddaughter Judy Rockett said. "(She was) sitting there in the wheelchair and the people just left her."

Nelson was left alone for hours on Monday, her granddaughter said. Her flight was delayed and then canceled.

Nelson then spoke with a Delta agent for some assistance.

"And the person told her we don’t have any more food vouchers, there’s no more flights," Rockett said. "And she let them know that she needed to be on a straight-through flight. They told her she would not be able to get a flight out until this Friday." 

The airline originally said Nelson was going to have to pay for a new flight when available, but later waived that.

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A nice weekend is on tap before the rain returns.

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1. Former Warren Mayor Jim Fouts' campaign signs for Michigan House were removed by the Hazel Park city clerk. She says they were in an area where they weren't supposed to be, but Fouts is questioning her actions.
2. The prosecution is still deciding whether they will re-try Michael Jackson-Bolanos, the man accused of killing Samantha Woll, or drop charges against him after a jury deadlocked last week.
3. Jacob Kromberg, a University of Michigan soccer coach, is facing charges after allegedly trying to meet minors for sex.
4. Rosie the Riveter Francis Metcalf, of Chesterfield, just celebrated her 100th birthday. She became a Riveter because she was too young to join the Navy during WWII
5. The weekend is finally here, and it's going to be a busy one. Find things to do here.

Arson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail network hours before start of Olympics

France's high-speed rail network was hit Friday with widespread and "criminal" acts of vandalism including arson attacks, paralyzing travel to Paris from across the rest of France and Europe only hours before the grand opening ceremony of the Olympics.

French officials described the attacks as "criminal actions" and said they were investigating whether they were linked to the Olympic Games. The disruptions as the world's eye was turning to Paris were expected to affect a quarter of a million people on Friday and endure through the weekend, and possibly longer, officials said.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal wrote on the social media platform X that France's intelligence services have been mobilized to find the perpetrators.

Attal characterized them as "acts of sabotage," which were "prepared and coordinated."