DETROIT – Police, crime scene techs and Child Protective Services were in and out of two homes on Detroit's west side for hours Friday night.
Police sources told Local 4 a 9-year-old boy hanged himself after a fight with family. Police told Local 4 the same family lives in two homes side by side on Ellsworth Street on the city's west side.
Local 4 News normally does not report on suicides, but the age of the child in this case brings up a lot of questions, such as what could prompt a young boy to do this.
Earlier Friday, a fight happened inside one of the homes between the 9-year-old boy and at least one of his parents and other adults. He left that home, went next door and hanged himself from his bunk bed.
The boy's 11-year-old sister made the discovery.
"Children don't understand the permanence of death, and they're used to seeing cartoons where a character has exploded and he's alive in the next frame," said Birmingham psychiatrist Dr. Gerald Schiener.
The 11-year-old girl ran to get the adults who tried to revive the child, but it was too late.
Police spent hours at the home trying to piece together what happened. The scene at the homes was understandably emotional and volatile.