A Michigan pastor hit by a car driven by an illegal immigrant in Rochester Hills, Michigan, died after suffering major injuries earlier this month.
According to ABC 7, 72-year-old Stephen Singleton was hit by a car while crossing the street in Rochester Hills, Michigan, on November 3. The outlet reported that police investigators said the 72-year-old was wearing a reflective vest and walking inside a marked crosswalk at the time of the incident.
A witness of the November 3 incident told ABC 7 that the suspect ran through a red light before hitting the Michigan pastor. Law enforcement officials indicated that the fatal car crash was not caused by alcohol or excessive speed.
According to ABC7, the Oakland County Sheriff’s office identified the suspect as an illegal immigrant from Colombia. According to Michigan state law, non-citizens are allowed to drive in Michigan if they possess a foreign driver’s license “printed in English or accompanied with an English translation.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed that the suspect illegally crossed into the United States and was released with a notice to appear in federal court, according to Fox 2.
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Explaining the emotional pain of watching the illegal immigrant suspect be released from police custody after the incident, Teri Singleton, Stephen Singleton’s wife, told Fox 2, “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.” She added, “He’s dead and they’re walking around. That’s bothering me.”
Teri Singleton told Fox 2 that her husband had “almost every bone in his body broken” as a result of the car crash. She added, “He had his collarbone fractured, internal organ damage, and his skull was cracked. He had two craniotomies in the hospital.”
Singleton’s wife and daughter Ruth told Fox 2 that the 72-year-old pastor was dedicated in his service to God and was a former medic who provided medical service for the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack.
“He was a loving person who cared about everybody,” Teri Singleton said. “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.”
Expressing her grief regarding her father’s death, Singleton’s daughter told ABC 7, “One day, I wake up and just know he’s gone for such a simple and senseless thing. I just don’t understand.”
