Detroit, MI
Family of well known Detroit-area pastor killed in crash questions why suspect was released
Pastor’s family questions suspect’s release in deadly crash
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) – A well-known Detroit-area pastor has died after police say he was struck by a car driven by an undocumented immigrant. Now his family is wondering why that driver was let go as they grieve.
The word “Heartbreak” does not even begin to describe what Teri Singleton had been feeling in the days since losing her husband, 72-year-old Stephen Singleton.
“I had to sit and watch my husband of 53 years die in front of me and then to know that the person who did this is walking around is very difficult to deal with,” said Teri Singleton.
He was a well-known area pastor, who would do anything for anyone. Police say he was struck by an undocumented immigrant as he crossed the street in Rochester Hills earlier in November. Singleton died several days later.
“He had almost every bone in his body broken,” said Singleton. “He had his collarbone fractured, internal organ damage, and his skull was cracked. He had two craniotomies in the hospital.”
Family members say Pastor Singleton was a dedicated servant of god and a former medic who traveled to New York City to help injured victims of the 9/11 attacks. He gathered at a church there with other religious leaders to pray and spoke about it with FOX 2’s Amy Lange in September 2023.
“After everybody had prayed, he started saying the Lord’s Prayer, and he said it with a whisper, he said it with a shout, he said it with a sing, and then he said it with so much passion that it brought me to tears,” Stephen Singleton said. “I wanted to save somebody. That’s-bottomline.”
He also helped in the search for survivors. It would be local medics who would desperately try to save Singleton’s life after he was hit by a man driving a 2013 Ford Focus as he crossed Rochester Road at Avon. He had just gone for his usual morning walk.
“He’s been coming back within, I’ll say, 45 minutes at the most. He didn’t return. I was sitting there waiting,” said Teri Singleton. “I was actually less than a block away from where it happened.”
Detectives say that the driver was a citizen of Columbia. US Customs and Border Protection determined he entered the US illegally and was released pending a future date in federal court. That’s the most painful part for the pastor’s family.
“He’s dead and they’re walking around. That’s bothering me,” Teri said.
For now, they continue their quest for justice…while staying in faith and love.
“I will not be angry because this has happened,” said Stephen’s daughter Ruth. “I refuse to be angry. I will still love like my Dad taught me to.”
They have also put together a Go-Fund-Me page, hoping to give Pastor Singleton the dignified send-off he deserves.
“He was a loving person who cared about everybody,” said Teri Singleton. “I mean, the whole neighborhood, everybody in our community has come to my door. They didn’t even see the name on the report, but they knew him because of his habits.”
FOX 2 has reached out to government sources to see exactly why the suspect was released and when the next court date will be. Police say Singleton was wearing a reflective vest and was walking in a properly marked cross-walk when he was hit.
Police believe speed or alcohol were factors in the crash.
Detroit, MI
Opening of Canada-US bridge in Detroit that Trump threatened to block is delayed
WASHINGTON (AP) — The opening of a Canadian-U.S. bridge across the Detroit River that President Donald Trump previously threatened to block has been delayed due to “outstanding issues.”
In a statement released Thursday ahead of a Friday ribbon-cutting ceremony at the bridge, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority says “Canada and the United States have agreed to delay the opening of the bridge, taking the necessary time to resolve any outstanding issues.”
The Gordie Howe International Bridge is jointly owned by Canada and Michigan and was expected to open to traffic later this month.
The bridge’s opening had remained in question for months after Trump, a Republican, in February demanded that Canada turn over at least half the ownership of the bridge to the U.S. federal government and agree to other unspecified demands in one of his many salvos over cross-border trade issues.
Invitations for the bridge’s opening went out this week following a conversation between Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
“This project is a powerful example of bipartisan and international cooperation, and the governor looks forward to attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony when it happens,” a statement from Whitmer spokesperson Bobby Leddy said.
Detroit, MI
Boats capsize on Detroit River near Belle Isle after heavy rain
Boats capsize on Belle Isle
Bystanders looked on as multiple boats appeared to have capsized in the Detroit River after heavy rains swept across the island around 7:45 p.m., Wednesday, June 10.
Detroit police, firefighters, and Michigan conservation officers rushed to the beach on Belle Isle on Wednesday, June 10, around 7:45 p.m., where bystanders watched helplessly as multiple boats appeared to have capsized after heavy rains swept across the island.
A representative for the Detroit Police Department said the department responded to four sailboats that capsized in the Detroit River, recovering nine people from the water. “At this time, we believe weather was the contributing factor to these boats capsizing. We are grateful for the quick actions of our officers in being able to rescue and save the nine individuals recovered,” read a statement provided by the department. Emergency workers stood onshore until around 8:45 p.m, awaiting an opportunity to help, while what appeared to be emergency boats cruised past each overturned vessel.
Coast Guard officers arrived around 8 p.m. and consulted with emergency workers on the scene.
(This is a developing story and will update.)
Detroit, MI
‘Diarra From Detroit’ sets date for second season on Paramount+
The Detroit-set detective series from creator and star Diarra Kilpatrick debuted in 2024.
Diarra is coming back to Detroit.
“Diarra From Detroit” will return for its second season on July 29 on Paramount+, the streaming network announced Wednesday.
The eight-episode season will debut with two episodes and will follow with new episodes every Wednesday through Sept. 9.
Diarra Kilpatrick, half-sister of former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, is the creator, writer, executive producer, and star of the series, which follows her adventures as Detroit detective Diarra Brickland.
From the official show description:
“Season two finds Diarra Brickland trying — unsuccessfully — to have a hot girl summer without getting wrapped up in yet another deeply unserious and extremely dangerous Detroit mystery. This time around, what starts as a seemingly harmless furniture recovery mission quickly spirals into a triple homicide investigation, a citywide treasure hunt and another trip deep into Detroit’s criminal underbelly. As Diarra attempts to sort out her messy relationship status, she instead finds herself going undercover with a secret society, starring in a Tubi movie, chasing urban legends, dodging gang warfare, and uncovering secrets buried beneath the city itself. Because of course she does.”
Alongside returning stars Kilpatrick, DomiNque Perry, Bryan Terrell Clark, Jon Chaffin, Shannon Wallace, Phylicia Rashad and Harry Lennix, the new season will feature guest stars Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Morris Chestnut, Glynn Turman, Bokeem Woodbine, Amber Riley, Lil Rel Howery, Skilla Baby, Icewear Vezzo, Chris “CP” Powell and more.
The show originally debuted on BET+ in March 2024. The show was filmed in New Jersey, which stood in for the Motor City.
At the time, Kilpatrick told The Detroit News she was inspired by the detective shows she watched growing up with her grandmother.
“I watched ‘Perry Mason’ and ‘Columbo’ with my granny, and I think that structure is in my bones,” she said. “Even though they’re White shows, because of my grandmother’s commentary on them, she made them Black shows.”
She said the show follows in the lineage of those shows she grew up loving.
“I have nostalgia for these highly entertaining procedural shows,” she said. “This one is edgier, it’s sexier, it’s raunchier — it’s definitely an adult show — but I want people to talk to their friends at brunch or call their friends and say, ‘I think she should go back with the husband!’ I love when people get involved in storytelling that way, and if I can reveal the humanity of Detroiters in the process? I feel like I’ve won.”
“Diarra From Detroit’s” first season is currently available to stream on Paramount+.
agraham@detroitnews.com
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