DETROIT – The family of a 25-year-old Marine Corps veteran, who was shot and killed in Detroit‘s New Center neighborhood during what police say was a routine child drop-off last month, is sharing how their family is coping with the loss.
Kyle Cummings was fatally shot on September 21 on Delaware Street when the father of his fiancée’s children arrived to drop off the children, ages 3 and 6, according to police.
After the shooting, a male witness, identified by the victim’s father as a friend of Kyle’s, fired back and struck the suspect.
The suspect was taken to a hospital for treatment.
In Cummings’ final moments, he turned to prayer with his fiancée.
“It brought me great joy to know that God was on his mind in those moments,” said Justin Cummings, Kyle’s father.
“He asked (his fiancée), ‘Let’s pray.’ And they started to say the Lord’s prayer, until he couldn’t say it anymore, and she would finish. He said it all the way to the ambulance, and he told her he loved her.”
The father and son shared a special bond, both having served in the Marine Corps.
“I would call him and say, ‘Son, I need a hug,’” Justin Cummings recalled. “I would either drive to him or he would make sure I saw him. And I ain’t got that no more.”
At the burial service, Justin wore a t-shirt he was gifted for Father’s Day as he said his final goodbyes.
While the family seeks justice, they’re focusing first on processing their loss.
“I’m no detective, prosecutor. I know they’re doing their job, and until they call me with information, we’re just waiting,” Justin Cummings said. “The burial for my son was today, so that was the final part of laying him to rest, and so now it’s just trying to learn how to live with one less member in our family unit.”
A Detroit Police Department spokesperson said the investigation is ongoing and they’re working with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to submit a warrant in the case.