Teen fatally struck getting off bus, Michigan's life without parole sentence, 'Gardner White cop' car on sale

Zyair Harris, 13-years-old, was fatally struck by a vehicle after getting off the bus on his way home from school.

Harris, who is autistic, died from his servery injuries, which his family feels, was entirely preventable.

According to Detroit Police, this happened Wednesday, at 4:30 in the afternoon, near east Nevada and Healy streets. 

"Seeing my son laying there, with blood coming out his mouth, and his body twisted, how would any mother feel about that," said Casandra Jones, Harris' mother.

Harris' family says he was dropped off near his home Wednesday by a bus driver, who they say, did not follow protocol.

"You send your child to school, you think he’s safe with these people, and they failed her the system failed her and her child, and, and the rest of us, and this shouldn’t have happened," said Lorise Yarbrough, Harris’ aunt.

According to Jones, the bus driver pulled across the street, without the stop sign out and without walking Harris out. When he got off the bus, the car came flying. 

"He is an autistic kid, but he is very smart, but anyone who has any sort of compassion for a child, you know you're supposed to guide them across the street, he never got the chance. She let him off the bus, and as soon as he cross the street, the car hit him," said Yarbrough.

Sunday evening, a balloon release was held for a child deeply loved by the community, they're remembering a life gone too soon.

A GoFund Me has been set up for his final arrangements.

"He would light the room up, if you were having a bad day, you could come over to Sandy's house, and Zyair would light the room up for you," Yarbrough said.  

Detroit Police say the driver stopped at the scene. Investigators say the bus driver is in police custody. The department said they've sent a warrant to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, who will make the decision on charges.

We've reached out to ABC Transportation, the bus company, and have not yet heard back.

St. Clair County deputies conduct 4 raids at drug houses

Four raids conducted over two days in St. Clair County yielded the sheriff's Drug Task Force a bonanza of drugs, guns, and suspect arrests last week. The task force's operations on April 6 and 7 led to six arrests and the seizure of meth, cocaine, fentanyl, other drug packing materials, as well as scales and both long guns and handguns. 

The first suspect, a 33-year-old Port Huron man was at his residence on April 6 when police conducted a raid at 11 a.m. Inside, police found found methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other paraphernalia. The suspect was taken into custody and charged with possession with intent to distribute both meth and heroin, as well as resisting and obstructing police, maintaining a drug house, and being a habitual offender. 

Nine hours later in the 2000 block of Moak Street also in Port Huron, DTF officers raided a home and found three pounds of meth, along with cocaine. Three long guns were also confiscated in the search and a 36-year-old man was arrested. He faces charges of possession with intent to distribute meth, possession of cocaine, felony firearm, and maintaining a drug house. 

The next day, the task force served a search warrant in the 3100 block of Electric Avenue in Port Huron around 5 p.m. Two men from Port Huron, ages 22 and 17, were arrested. Meth and drug packing materials were found inside. Both were charged with possession with intent to distribute meth and maintaining a drug house. 

And at 7:15 p.m. that day, a search warrant on 11th Street in Port Huron yielded seizure of meth, two hand guns, drug packing materials, and scales. A 45-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man were both arrested and lodged at the St. Clair County Intervention and Detention Center. 

Michigan gas prices fall below $4

For the first time in weeks, Michigan gas costs under $4 a gallon. After another week of a softening oil market, the average price for a gallon of gas fell 9 cents to $3.95. The gradual decline in gas prices may not feel like much of a difference since the cost of filling up a 15-gallon tank still pushes the price close to $59.

That decline in gas prices isn't reflected everywhere in Michigan, with prices ranging from as high as $4.17 in Traverse city and $4.15 in Marquette to $3.87 in Grand Rapids. Metro Detroit prices were slightly higher than the average at $3.99.

"Motorists are seeing some slight relief at the pump as Michigan gas prices fell below $4 a gallon for the first time in almost five weeks," said Adrienne Woodland, spokesperson, AAA-The Auto Club Group. "If crude oil prices continue to decline, it’s likely that pump prices will follow suit."

On March 31, President Joe Biden announced plans to release 180 million additional barrels of oil reserves from the country's Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help offset costs. Economists anticipate the impacts will be felt relatively quickly after their release since prices are based on futures and expectations of what will happen in the market. 

Does Michigan's ‘life without parole’ sentence need revision?

Jamie Meade didn't pull the trigger in 1993 when him and a friend, high on pot and drunk, decided to rob an acquaintance when a gun went off, killing the man. He never held the weapon, but both got life without parole after being convicted. 

While the man who was holding the weapon is already out of prison after being convicted on a lesser charge, Meade remains incarcerated. A report from the Sentencing Project illustrates the imbalance in Michigan's justice system and used examples like Meade's to put it on display. 

Wendi Johnson, an Oakland University Criminal Justice professor says the law "definitely needs adjustments." "My understanding of it is that it is written in such a broad way that it gives prosecutors great discretion in how they can apply it and so in many ways they are able to actually sort of weaponize it and use it to essentially extract plea deals that still involve these very long protracted sentences," she said.

But the impacts have been particularly adverse for people of color, women and young citizens. The report confirms that felony murder laws widen the net of extreme sentences. 

Taylor police put ‘Gardner White cop’ car up for auction

If there's one police cruiser that drivers in Southeast Michigan know best, it's the Gardner White Cop car. The one that hides around Telegraph Road. The one that pulls drivers over for going 5 miles over the limit. The one that has drawn accusations of creating a speed trap near the Gardner White Furniture in Taylor.

And now, that one is up for sale. The notorious red Dodge Charger has been put up for auction by the Taylor Police Department, its Facebook page said Saturday. "The City of Taylor is conducting an auto auction.  One of the vehicles up for auction is the infamous "Gardner White Cop" red Dodge Charger.  The auction is now live," read the post, accompanied by two photos of the vehicle. 

"The most hated vehicle in Metro Detroit," read one comment on the post. "I've been pulled over by this car - the first time I ever had been pulled over!" read another. Some even theorized purchasing it to use for some catharsis. 

In an age of water cooler conversations moving online, social media and websites like Reddit have played host to numerous complaints about the Gardner White cop. Now, according to the website Public Surplus, the charger can be bid upon. The highest bid as of Sunday afternoon is $11,211.00. Twenty-five bids have been made. The auction will go until April 22, 2022. 

What else we're watching

  1. 14 Mile Road at Gratiot Avenue will be closed to drivers this week for drainage work in Macomb County. From April 11 to 15, the road will be closed and traffic will be detoured onto M-3.
  2. The ACLU has issued a request of Detroit Police Chief James White to open a dialogue with participants who attended a Native American ceremony when 14 police officers arrived at the Rouge Park location and conducted a raid. No arrests were made but the civil rights organization say attendees were devastated by the incident.
  3. The state Supreme Court chief justice has tested positive for COVID-19. Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack said she was experiencing flu-like symptoms. She's received two booster doses.
  4. Law enforcement from Wayne County plan to donate 165 expired bulletproof vests to support Ukraine forces fighting Russia's invasion. The vests, which were set to be decommissioned and recycled will instead be sent overseas.
  5. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission say experts plan on removing invasive sea lamprey from the Grand River in Lake Erie in Ohio later this month. The invasive species represents one of the greatest threats to the food web in the Great Lakes region.

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Daily Forecast

The first half of the week promises to be warm with a chance for showers Monday and Wednesday. The rest of the week will be on the cooler side with stronger winds. If there's a day to enjoy the sun and outdoors as Michigan creeps into spring weather, it's Tuesday.  

Elon Musk no longer joining Twitter's board of directors, company says

Tesla CEO Elon Musk won't be joining Twitter's board of directors as previously announced. The tempestuous billionaire remains Twitter’s largest shareholder.

Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal tweeted the news, which followed a weekend of Musk tweets suggesting possible changes to Twitter, including making the site ad-free. Nearly 90% of Twitter's 2021 revenue came from ads.

"Elon's appointment to the board was to become officially effective on 4/9, but Elon shared that same morning that he would not be joining the board," Agrawal wrote in a reposted note originally sent to Tesla employees. "I believe this is for the best."

Agrawal didn't offer an explanation for Musk's apparent decision. He said the board understood the risks of having Musk as a member. But it, "believed having Elon as a fiduciary of the company, where he, like all board members, has to act in the best interests of the company and all our shareholders, was the best path forward," he wrote.