Detroit men convicted of toddler's fatal shooting on freeway get lengthy sentences

The two Detroit men convicted of killing 2-year-old Brison Christian after opening fire on his family's truck in June 2021 were given lengthy sentences on Friday, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced in a news release on Saturday.

The defendants, Darius Evonte Lanier and Eugene Meredith Hubbard, were convicted of second-degree murder and felony firearm and first-degree murder and felony firearm, respectively, by a jury last month. Lanier was sentenced to 43 years and 9 months to 70 years in prison and Hubbard received life without parole, the prosecutor's office said in the news release.

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Lanier and Hubbard were charged in June 2021 after Brison Christian, 2, was shot and killed and his brother BJ Christian, 9, was shot and injured while the siblings were driving home from BJ's basketball practice with their mom and dad on June 22, 2021. The shooting occurred around 9:39 p.m. while the Dearborn family was driving on I-75 and McNichols.

The victim's father heard gunshots and the car began to malfunction, causing him to pull over, according to the prosecutor's office. The parents then realized that their sons had been shot and called 911 around 9:40 p.m. Brison had been shot in the head and BJ in the arm. Michigan State Police arrived on the scene and medics took the children to a local hospital where Brison was pronounced dead, according to the prosecutor's office. His brother was treated and later released.

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Lanier and Hubbard opened fire on the Christians' truck after they mistakenly identified it based on its black color and make, the prosecutor's office said. “After a long trial, these two defendants were convicted of taking little Brison’s death,” Worthy said in the news release. “These convictions will not bring him back and his family must forever live with his loss. I hope that these sentences will bring them some peace.”

After the boy's death, multiple Metro Detroit police departments launched Operation Brison to reduce freeway shootings.

"This isn't just a Detroit problem; this is an 'our problem,'" Detroit Police Chief James White said at a press briefing in May 2022 to announce the relaunch of the joint operation for a second year. "Our freeways are being used as pathways of escape for violence perpetrated not only in Detroit but in our neighboring communities."

hmackay@detroitnews.com