ROSEVILLE, Mich. – The driver who struck a Roseville Middle School student last week was taking a detour past the school because police closed down a section of nearby Groesbeck Highway where a district employee was shot by officers for wielding a knife, officials said.
A Roseville Community School custodian was involved in a car crash on April 26, and that crash resulted in a major road closure in the city.
Here’s a timeline of what happened in Roseville on April 26.
6:00 a.m.
Around this time, Frank Robles crashed into a semi-truck that was hauling bricks, police said. This caused a massive police scene that shut down Groesbeck Highway between 12 Mile and Martin roads in Roseville.
Witnesses reported that when they approached the Silverado to check on Robles, he produced a knife. Witnesses also stated that his wrists were cut. The witnesses retreated and called police, they said.
Investigators confirmed that Robles’ wrists were cut.
The semi truck driver, an Ohio native, was uninjured.
6:20 a.m.
When officers arrived, Robles was in the roadway and holding a knife, according to authorities. They asked him if he was OK, and he said he was not OK. Authorities said at this time, the two officers on the scene told him to drop the knife, but instead, he advanced toward one of the officers.
They said officers gave repeated commands for him to drop the knife, but he didn’t. Authorities said one of the officers was retreating, but Robles continued walking toward him. The officer shot the man and he fell to the ground, according to officials.
When Robles tried to get up off the ground, still holding the knife, the officer fired “several more shots,” authorities said.
Robles was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Macomb County authorities said they believe nine shots were fired in total by one of the officers. Robles was struck multiple times. No officers were injured.
7:20 a.m.
About an hour after the police-involved shooting, a 12-year-old Roseville Middle School student was hit by a car at the intersection of Martin Road and Barkman Street.
Officials said a 21-year-old Detroit man struck Julia Wallace as she was crossing Martin Road.
It was confirmed that the driver who struck Wallace was on Barkman Street because traffic had been diverted from Groesbeck Highway as a result of the crash and shooting scene.
Robles, the person involved in that scene, was a custodian for Roseville Community Schools, officials said.
Related: Community shows support for 12-year-old girl hit by car in Roseville
During a news briefing on April 27, officials from the Roseville Police Department and Macomb County Sheriff’s Office presented surveillance footage and body cam video of the crash and the shooting.
Some of the footage was graphic -- particularly the video that showed the actual shooting.
During the briefing, police said there will be a meeting on May 4 to discuss the changes and safety measures at the Martin Road and Barkman Street intersection.
As for Julia, she is currently still in the hospital, fighting.
Below is an update from her mother on May 3.
Check out the stories below related to the Roseville incidents from April 26