Community Corner

Renisha McBride's Family Files $10 Million Lawsuit

The family of woman shot from the porch of a Dearborn Heights home also wants funeral and burial expenses.

The family of Renisha McBride has filed a $10 million wrongful death lawsuit against a homeowner who shot and killed her from his Dearborn Heights front porch last November.

The lawsuit names Theodore Wafer, who was convicted in McBride’s death on Aug. 7 by a Wayne County Circuit Court jury. Wafer, 55, will be sentenced Thursday on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and using a firearm in the commission of a felony.

The 12-page lawsuit filed on behalf of McBride’s family by attorneys Gerald Thurswell and Ardiana Culaj accuses Wafer of assault and battery, negligence, gross negligence, emotional distress and wrongful death, The Detroit News reports.

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The family is also asking that Wafer pay McBride’s funeral and burial expenses.

McBride, dazed and bloody after crashing her car nearby, banged on side and front doors of Wafer’s home around 1 a.m. on the morning of Nov. 2. Toxicology reports showed that she was drunk and had marijuana in her system. He testified during his trial earlier this month that he feared for his life.

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