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WXYZ Detroit 7 Action News
'He was just caring.' Family remembers Detroit man killed by live wire
By Whitney Burney,
17 hours ago
A Detroit family is mourning a father who died after coming in to contact with a live wire.
It happened Wednesday afternoon on Holcomb St. just off of Mack Avenue. Police say they found the victim around 5:30 p.m.
RELATED VIDEO: Man dies after being electrocuted by live wire in Detroit
Man dies after being electrocuted by live wire in Detroit
On Thursday, caution tape remained on the scene.
Family members of the victim identified him as 45-year-old Shelly Johnson.
"I was at work. My little sister called me and I instantly had ran out of work, came here," said Antoine Newman as he described getting a call about the accident.
WXYZ 7 News Detroit Reporter Whitney Burney speaks to the children of 45 year old Shelly Johnson.
"It feels like it’s a dream. I just had talked to my daddy Tuesday," said LaPorsha Joyce of her dad. "I would’ve never thought the next couple days I would get a call saying my daddy passed away or something happened to him. I don’t know how to feel right now."
Johnson leaves behind three children. He also has several grand children.
VIDEO: Watch the full emotional interview with Shelly's family members below:
Full interview: Family remembers Detroit man killed by live wire
"I just need one more phone call, a text, something. One more hug please," said Tamiya Johnson, Johnson's youngest daughter. "He was just caring. Everybody in the neighborhood knew him, because of so much that he did. Not only did this affect us, it affected everybody."
The three described their dad as the family funny man and say they wish they had a little more time with him.
As Johnson's children work to piece together how this happened they say they want people to know their dad was more than his past mistakes.
"My dad did a lot of things when he was young, but he made up for that and he became a better man. He actually started being better and things were getting good. He was a better person now," said Johnson.
DTE is reminding homeowners about the dangers of downed wires. If you see one, they say you should treat it as live and stay at least 25 feet away from it. The utility company also asks people to report downed wires immediately.
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