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Bus driver sentenced to community service, probation for Detroit teen’s death

Debra White charged in connection with death of Zyiar Harris

Debra White (Wayne County Prosecutor's Office)

DETROIT – A bus driver who didn’t activate stop lights for a Detroit teenager who was killed after being struck by a car has been sentenced to community service hours and probation.

The Wayne County Prosecutors Office has announced that Debra White has been sentenced to 200 hours of community service and three years of probation. White was charged with second-degree child abuse and failure to stop at the scene resulting in death.

Detroit police officers were called in the afternoon of April 6, 2022, to a neighborhood on the city’s east side. When they arrived, they learned that Zyiar Harris, 13, of Detroit, had been struck by a car while trying to cross the street after getting off a Detroit Public Schools Community District bus.

Officials say that White drove the ABC Bus Company bus that had taken Zyiar from school to the location. Wayne County prosecutors say White is accused of failing to activate the bus stop lights and stop sign for Zyiar to safely cross the street.

Previous coverage: Bus driver didn’t activate stop lights for 13-year-old Detroit boy who was killed by car, police say