Homicide

Separate slayings unite Detroit father, suburban grandfather as they help launch foundation

Associated Press
Published | Updated

In this photo taken June 15, 2015, Dave Lawrence, right, and Steven Goodin share a moment after a prayer at the site where Lawrence's 16-year-old granddaughter Paige Stalker was killed in Detroit. A few days after Paige's slaying in December, Christina Samuel was shot and killed not far away. Chris Samuel, Christina's father, and Lawrence have launched a foundation with others aimed at establishing neighborhood groups and developing safety education programs. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) (The Associated Press)

In this photo taken June 15, 2015, Chris Samuel, left, gets a fist bump from supporter Milton Stanciel after talking about rising crime in Detroit. Samuel’s 22-year-old daughter, Christina Samuel, was gunned down in December a car on Detroit’s eastside. Samuel and Dave Lawrence, whose 16-year-old daughter, Paige Stalker was shot and killed days earlier, have helped launched a foundation aimed at establishing neighborhood groups and developing student safety education programs. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) (The Associated Press)

In this photo taken, June 15, 2015, a supporter holds a Crime Stoppers poster seeking information on the murder of Paige Stalker ,during a prayer at the site where the 16-year-old was shot and killed in Detroit. Paige's grandfather, Dave Lawrence, and Chris Samuel, whose 22-year-old daughter, Christina Samuel, was killed nearby just days later, have launched a foundation with others aimed at establishing neighborhood groups and developing safety education programs. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) (The Associated Press)

Two men from different communities who lost loved ones to similar tragedies have united to console each other and help launch a foundation.

Chris Samuel's 22-year-old daughter, Christina Samuel, died early on Christmas after being shot on Detroit's east side. Dave Lawrence's 16-year-old granddaughter, Paige Stalker, was shot and killed in a car a few miles away on Dec. 22.

Paige was white and from the affluent Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe Farms. Christina was black and from a poorer area in the city of Detroit.

Paige's grandfather and Christina's father are focused on their loved ones' similarities and working to unite their communities in the wake of the deaths.

The foundation they have helped launch is aimed at establishing neighborhood groups and developing student safety education programs.