A devastated mother in Michigan has demanded answers from the firefighters on call the day her two boys were burnt to death in a house fire.
Zyaire Mitchell, 12, and his brother Lamar, 9, died soon after a fire at their home in Flint on May 28. The mother alleged that the firefighters called a clear too early.
According to the mother, the state had sent two local firefighters to sweep the house for persons before trying to quench the fire, but they did not properly search for anybody.
They probably just peeped through the hallway before calling it clear. Seven minutes later, other firefighters went in and rescued the two children. But it was too late as they died in the hospital from smoke inhalation.
Attorney Robert Kenner, who is representing the boy’s mother, said he thinks there is an indication of racial bias in the way the investigation has been handled because the children were Black.
“I can’t say in good faith that these firemen intentionally failed at their responsibility because these boys were African Americans, I would never say that.”
“I think the way it was handled subsequent to the boys being found was a disparity in how others have been treated.”
Flint fire department Chief in Michigan, Raymond Barton had called for the termination of both officers involved in the investigation, but the state only gave a two-weeks suspension to one of them.
“There was an investigation by Chief Raymond Barton and, what he found, was that two firemen — Daniel Sniegocki and Michael Zlotek — fabricated and lied on a report and said that they checked the room,” Kenner said.
Based on what they said, the chief did his own investigation and what was uncovered was they couldn’t have checked the room, they didn’t even mention anything about a bed, the location of the bed, the location of items.”
Speaking at a press conference Friday, the boy’s mother, Crystal Cooper, said:
“Only if I could just give six minutes, my babies would still be here with me. I just want justice for them. They didn’t deserve this. Every day is a struggle knowing that I won’t see them anymore.”
