Canton man charged in traffic death of 2 sisters
A Canton Township man has been charged in an automobile crash that killed two children and left a teen seriously injured.
Prosecutors claim that Khalid was responsible for the crash which took place at about 12:39 a.m. Aug. 23 on Gratiot near Houston Whittier in Detroit. According to police reports, a young girl was found by officers trapped in a vehicle located on the sidewalk in front of a gas station in the 12600 block of Gratiot. The child was later identified as Savannah Allen, 8.
The girl was extricated from the vehicle and transported along with two other girls who had been in the vehicle to a local hospital. Both the 8-year-old and her 15-year-old sister, Syiana, were pronounced dead a short time later. A 16-year-old was also injured in the crash and received medical treatment at the hospital, police said.
The girls’ grandmother was reportedly driving them home. She also suffered injuries in the crash, according to reports.
Prosecutors allege that Khalid was recklessly driving and speeding north on Gratiot when his vehicle collided with the car occupied by the victims. Police said Khalid’s vehicle was traveling at about 80 mph in a 35-mph zone when the crash happened. The family of the young girls launched a GoFundMe page in an effort to fund funerals for the children.
"Losing one child is heartbreaking beyond words but losing both sisters on the same day has left our family shattered," Katherine Yancy wrote on the page which she organized. "They were vibrant, loving, and full of life, and they will forever remain in our hearts."
Khalid was arraigned on Aug. 25, in 36th District Court before Magistrate Joseph Boyer and received a $250,000 cash/surety bond with a GPS tether and conditions of a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, and no driving.
