A beloved Michigan pastor was killed earlier this month after a driver who was in the country illegally allegedly ran a red light and hit the 72-year-old pastor, authorities and his family said.
Stephen Singleton was on his morning run in Rochester Hills on Nov. 3 when he ran over a migrant while wearing a reflective vest and crossing the road in a crosswalk, according to his family and the Oakland County Sheriff's Office. It is said that he was killed.
He suffered severe injuries and was taken to hospital and placed on life support. Five days later, the pastor was declared brain dead and taken off life support, his granddaughter said.
Heartbroken families are now questioning why the man they say is responsible for the death of their beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather was released if he entered the country illegally.
“I had to sit and watch my husband of 53 years die in front of my eyes. And then knowing that the person who did that kind of thing is walking around was very difficult to deal with. '' said his widow, Terry Singleton. he told FOX 2 Detroit.
The driver who allegedly hit Singleton, a 28-year-old man from Colombia, entered the country illegally and was released to the U.S. pending further trial, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. That's what it means.
At the time of the crash, he was driving a 2013 Ford Focus with a valid foreign driver's license. He was accused by the pastor's family of running a red light.
The driver had not been arrested as of Monday. The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office is reportedly investigating the incident.
Singelton's family said the 72-year-old devoted his entire life to helping others and remained active in his old age.
“He never met a stranger, was a friend to everyone and created lifelong friendships,” his granddaughter Allie Singelton wrote on the GoFundMe page. “His motto was that everyone was his brother or sister and it was his responsibility to share support, wisdom and the love of the Lord. He was also the father of his nieces and nephews and all the children in all the areas he frequented.”
He served as pastor of the Archdiocese of Detroit for the past 52 years.
“He officiated funerals for hundreds of people,” Allie Singelton said. “He helps families who cannot afford funeral costs receive services with dignity. His determination to make a difference has led him to regularly feed the homeless and help those in need. He gave me clothes from my back.If there was a disaster, he would immediately come to my rescue.”
Singelton volunteered in several national disasters, including on search and rescue teams after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and in recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina, according to his granddaughter.
The couple lived on a fixed income, and Tori Singelton was partially dependent on her husband for financial and daily care, her granddaughter wrote.
She said she set up a GoFundMe to raise money to cover her grandfather's medical expenses and funeral expenses, as well as to support her grandmother, who is now on her own.
Singleton's daughter said she is putting aside her anger over her father's tragic death because that's what her father taught her to do.
Ruth Singleton told FOX 2, “I'm not angry because something like this happened. I refuse to be angry.” I will continue to love you just like my father taught me. ”
