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12-year-old girl electrocuted while playing in front yard of Detroit home

Posted at 9:14 PM, Sep 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-08 16:33:39-04

The family of K'brianna Griffin is demanding answers after the 12-year-old died Wednesday night when she touched a downed power line.

Detroit Police say the 6th grader was playing with her 14-year-old friend, visiting the area of St. Mary's and Grove on the west side.

We're told the two girls were recording their good time on cell phones when they decided to go to the back of the house.

That's when Griffin came into contact with the wire.

Neighbors say that wire had been down for months, but nothing was ever done. DTE says it conducted an investigation, finding that wire belongs to the city of Detroit.

Her visibly shaken father, Kendrick Griffin, told us his daughter was funny and playful.

Public Lighting Department and DTE issued a joint statement:

Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of this young girl during this very difficult time.

DTE and the City’s Public Lighting Department (PLD), along with first responders, are diligently working together to factually understand how this tragic event occurred. This remains an active, complicated investigation, and we do not want to speculate on what occurred. It doesn't matter whose line it is, it is about understanding what happened.

Public safety is the number one priority for both DTE and the City. We are all committed to taking steps to ensure the safe operation of our electrical systems.

We want to take this opportunity to remind the public to stay at least 20 feet away from all power lines and anything the lines may be in contact with. These lines should be considered "live" and extremely dangerous. The public should also heed the warning of yellow caution tape, which indicates there is a downed power line in the area. DO NOT CROSS YELLOW CAUTION TAPE.

Should the public see a wire down, please report it online at dteenergy.com, by using the DTE mobile app, or by calling 800-477-4747.