By DeVaughn Humphries Staff Writer
During a April 28 school assembly at Cody DIT, students bowed their heads in a moment of silence for Terrance Kellom, brother of DIT senior Terrell Kellom.
According to reports, Terrance Kellom, 20, was shot 10 times by an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a raid at his home on the west side. There was a warrant on him for armed robbery. The officer that fired the first shot claimed Kellom was approaching him with a hammer. His family, who witnessed what happened, denied that Kellom had a hammer, reports said.
The day after the killing, protesters laid down in the intersection of W. Chicago and Evergreen near the site of the shooting until police ordered them to return to the sidewalks. Since then, there have been several other peaceful protests.
DIT senior Arnaz Colvin was sad when he heard the news and couldn’t help relating the incident to his own situation.
Colvin said police beat him and threatened him with a gun to his head during an arrest last year.
“When I heard this, and every time I hear about these situations — Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Freddie Gray — I think that could have been me,” Colvin said.
Students want to know what happened and why. Senior Lamar Williams is one of many who doesn’t understand why Kellom had to be shot.
“10 bullets? For a hammer? The cops should know how to get a hammer away from a guy without using a gun,” Williams said.
Kary Moss, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, expressed some her agency’s concerns following Kellom’s shooting death in a statement published on aclu.org
“Federal authorities also need to begin questioning the role of ICE in routine criminal investigations and whether these agents are properly trained to fill this role without unnecessarily endangering the public," Moss said.
As of press time, Detroit police were still reviewing surveillance video and other evidence. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility will also investigate.
Terrell Kellom said his brother had a young son and a daughter on the way.
“He wasn’t a bad guy,” Terrell Kellom said.
“He really wanted to change, but life was catching up with him.”
