MELVINDALE, Mich. (WXYZ) — Among the thousands of students heading back to the classroom is a 7-year-old boy who has been through a difficult summer. It's the first day of school for the younger brother of Melvindale Police Officer Mohamed Said, better known as 'Mo'.
Officer Said was shot and killed in the line of duty in July, with tributes to the 26-year-old officer flowing in for weeks.
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And that support isn't letting up today, as Officer Said's little brother returns to Allendale Elementary School.
While Mo won't be there to take his youngest brother, Yousef, to his first day of school, police officers from here in Melvindale and the surrounding areas are making sure Yousef knows he's never alone.
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A month ago, sirens and flashing lights somberly escorted Officer Mohamed Said's remains to be prepared for his final resting place, a pain his brother Ahmed told 7 News Detroit his family doesn't go a second without feeling.
"You know we lost a hero," Ahmed told us last month. "We lost a brother, the whole city lost someone who cared about the city, who was trying to make the city better and better."
Today, another police escort will happen, this time for Mo's youngest brother, Yousef.
PHOTOS: Yousef's first day of school with Melvindale police
The 7-year-old starts his first day of school at Allendale Elementary School, while his big brother Mo won't be there, Mo's brothers and sisters in blue will be. Melvindale and other surrounding agencies are coming together to make his first day as special as they can, from overhead with a fly over and on the ground level, officers will talk him into school.
"All the officers loved him,: Ahmed said of Mohamed. "He never took anything to the heart. I see a lot of messages from around the city, that I don't even know, that Mo used to go, talk with them, have fun with them. He used to treat a lot of people as his brothers."
The man accused of killing Officer Said, 44-year-old Michael Lopez, is expected to be in court today for a preliminary hearing. He's facing 12 charges, including murder of a peace officer. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
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