OAK PARK, Mich. (WXYZ) — A 25-year-old Detroit man with a promising future was struck and killed by a vehicle in Oak Park.
The mother of Willie James Cooper, 25, said he died Tuesday night after being hit by a vehicle on Eight Mile in Oak Park, and run over by a second vehicle. The crash occurred around 7:30 p.m near Eight Mile and Coolidge.
"I never thought in a million years my youngest son would be gone away from me so soon," Cooper's mother, Sheila Bailey told7 Action News exclusively.
Cooper was an employee with Whole Foods, according to his family. His mother said he provided for her and his 82-year-old grandmother.
"It's hard," Bailey said. "He was my help."
Oak Park Police Department and Public Safety said Cooper got off the bus on Eight Mile when a Jeep Cherokee, heading south on Coolidge and turning west on Eight Mile, struck him.
A department spokesman said the Jeep was driven by a 30-year-old Detroit woman who pulled over, stopped and waited for authorities to arrive.
However, police said as she pulled over to render aid, Cooper was lying in the street and an unknown vehicle ran him over.
"I had to go actually identify my son's body," Bailey said. "How would you feel if it was your child? It's not right. It's not fair."
Cooper was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators are hoping surveillance cameras in the area will provide answers.
Cooper's family has set up a GoFundMe page to pay for funeral expenses: click here
