Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Courtesy of Crystal Cooper
Genesee County Prosecutor David S. Leyton has requested that Michigan State Police launch a new probe into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of two Black boys in a house fire in Flint, spokesperson John Potbury confirmed to The Daily Beast.
Twelve-year-old Zyaire Mitchell and nine-year-old Lamar Mitchell died in May after an incident the local fire department chief said involved two white firefighters missing the boys—and then later lying about it on reports.
“Because it was a City of Flint Fire Department matter, we felt it appropriate that the state police investigate,” Potbury told The Daily Beast on Friday. A spokesperson for Michigan State Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the status of the investigation.