DETROIT (WXYZ) — A Detroit woman is facing several felonies for her involvement in a crash that killed a husband and wife.
It happened Friday evening on the city’s west side at Fenkell and Evergreen. The couple leaves behind five children.
“They were authentic. As a pastor, I see fakeness all the time, and it’s given me a sensitivity to when I run into authentic Christians. They were the real deal,” Pastor Semmeal Thomas.
Pastors Thomas, Mark Van Andel, and Phil Carr knew Kwasi and Elizabeth Agbottah for nearly two decades. The couple died at a local hospital after being struck by an SUV while waiting at a bus stop last Friday.
FULL VIDEO: Detroit pastors talk about accident victims
“I just broke down,” Dwan Dandrige, founder of Black Leaders Detroit, was a close friend of the Agbottah family. “And I don’t know if it was me breaking down so much for Kwasi and Elizabeth as much as it was for their five children.”
“That’s the most devastating part of this. They were so intentional about loving and training up their children,” Pastor Van Andel said.
Originally from Texas and the Carolinas, the Agbottahs first came to Detroit nearly 20 years ago and planted roots in Brightmoor, where they worked and served in various ministries.
“They considered themselves urban missionaries, and so, they were on a mission, and they wanted to have an impact on the disenfranchised, the overlooked,” Pastor Carr said.
“We arguably could’ve been the poorest zip code in the state of Michigan, and I would even put us up against other places in the US at that time. For someone to come here on purpose, it was really a testimony to their obedience to what they felt God was calling them to,” Pastor Thomas said.
“They actually chose not to have a vehicle so they could walk the streets and ride the bus to be present with people in the community in a way that we don’t if we get in a car and drive around,” Pastor Van Andel said.
Their friends would often secure donations for the Agbottahs only to learn the couple, who lived so openhandedly, would give them away to other families in greater need.
“Part of me said, ‘Arrgghh!! Ya’ll can use it',” Dandridge said.
FULL INTERVIEW: Dwan Dandrige talks about the loss of Kwasi and Elizabeth Agbottah
“When COVID hit, Kwasi was doing some neighborhood education. He was a teacher by training, and our church got a grant to be able to fund devices. So I said, ‘Kwasi, you need a computer to be able to help set up this education stuff,’ so we got him set up with a laptop that we got donated, and he gave it away to somebody. And I got him another one, and he gave it away. He wasn’t going to keep it for himself because he wanted so desperately to make sure people had access to stuff,” Pastor Van Andel said.
Late Monday, Dejah Berry was charged with four felonies in connection with the crash that took the Agbottahs’ lives (two counts of Reckless Driving Causing Death and two counts of Driving While License Suspended, Revoked, or Denied Causing Death). She reportedly blacked out while behind the wheel. She’s being held on $50,000 bond.
“She knows she shouldn’t have been out there, but because she defied those rules that are in place to prevent things like this, two people are dead,” Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Steve Vincent said.
“I prayed for her this morning,” Pastor Thomas said.
“It’s a heavy weight for her to hold. I hope that she has support to deal with it, process through that, and receive forgiveness,” Pastor Van Andel said.
