Boys killed, father critical after high-speed crash on Detroit's east side

35-year-old driver in critical condition; 14-year-old boy, 12-year-old boy die after crash

DETROIT – "Obscenely fast" is how a source described how the driver of a custom 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle was speeding Tuesday night northbound on Oakland Street before it slammed into a tractor trailer making a turn onto eastbound Holbrook Avenue.

There are 100 feet of skid marks at the corner. Crash investigators say the driver could have been going 80 miles per hour or faster. One hundred feet of slamming on the breaks couldn't stop the car.

"A very sad scene where two people are going to probably lose their lives -- a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old -- due to unnecessary speed," said Detroit Police Sgt. Scott Hall.

Mlinzi McMillan, 35, was driving the Chevelle. He is in critical condition. His 12-year-old son, Mlinzi McMillan Jr., also known as Demonte, died alone at the hospital.


-- Mlinzi McMillan

In the back seat of the car was McMillan's stepson, 14-year-old Jalen Jemison. Toya Reed performed CPR on the teen in an effort to keep him alive.

"Everybody was doing CPR on one or the other, and it was just teamwork," she said.


-- Jalen Jemison

Young Jalen didn't make it. His family said those efforts to help save him won't be forgotten.

"There was this one lady, I don't know who she is, but I really appreciate how she tried to do CPR," said Jalen's brother, Jason Jemison.

The three were on their way home from Detroit Police Athletic League football practice. The boys played for the Eastside Raiders.

Jalen's brother got the call from friends at the crash scene.

"'Yeah he's right here, he's not breathing,' so I bust out crying ... then I told everybody to go to the hospital," said Jason.

The Jemison family is accepting donations in the form of money or flowers. Donations can be made at any Public Service Credit Union under the "Jalen Memorial Fund" -- No. 78353.


About the Author:

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.