Flint fire chief is ousted after two firefighters OVERLOOKED two unconscious boys who later died

A fire chief in Flint, Michigan was ousted on Thursday after widespread controversy surrounding the deaths of two kids in a housefire in May who were overlooked by firefighters.

Two firefighters failed to properly check the house's second floor, leaving 9-year-old LaMar and 12-year-old Zy'Aire Mitchell in their home unconscious. The two boys later died in a hospital from smoke inhalation.

Chief Raymond Barton was replaced by Theron Wiggins after firefighters Daniel Sniegocki and Michael Zlotek were discovered to have not properly searched the floor of the house and submitted false reports. 

Barton has implied publicly that he tried to fire the men but was overruled, fueling speculation of a coverup by Mayor Sheldon Neeley in the lead-up to his election.

Barton refused to resign from his position as fire chief and was then fired. 

In a tearful interview on Friday, Barton said he wouldn't resign because he 'didn't do anything.'

'It's about the city of Flint's residents, it's about the city of Flint,' he said.  

Sniegocki resigned before he received any punishment, and Zlotek was back at the fire department after two weeks paid suspension and training before he also resigned. Neither have been charged with a crime. 

Chief Raymond Barton, pictured, was replaced by Theron Wiggins after he concluded two firefighters lied about checking a burning house for two children who eventually died

Zy'Aire Mitchell, left, and LaMar Mitchell, middle, died from smoke inhalation days after the fire - their father DeAndre, right, was held by police for hours before he could see them 

In a tearful interview on Friday, Barton said he wouldn't resign because he 'didn't do anything,' and added that he wants 'people to admit when they've made mistakes,' referencing the firefighters who he believes lied on their report of the fire

When asked about what he wants to come of the case, Barton said 'for it not to happen again' and for 'people to admit when they've made a mistake.'

An attorney for the Mitchell family, Todd Flood, said of Barton being fired: 'You can't make that up.'

'Seems that would be retaliation for saying the truth, but I wasn’t in the meeting to determine factors they looked at,' he said. 'However, I can't imagine, in my wildest fact patterns, good cause to fire someone that has as much integrity as the chief.'

He said the family of the boys 'admire and respect the chief for speaking on the matter.' 

The boy's father, DeAndre Mitchell, 44, spoke to The Daily Beast about the tragic day and the events that led to it. 

Mitchell said he was running on a treadmill at the local YMCA when he received a call from his uncle, who said 'your house is on fire.' 

Scared for his sons, he immediately asked about them, and his uncle revealed the two boys had been taken from the home on a stretcher.  

State investigators concluded the fire was caused by faulty electrical wiring, according to a city press release. 

After Mitchell raced home to see if his children were alright, he was surrounded by police officers as soon as he stepped out of his car. When he asked why they were holding him, they refused to give an answer. 

He begged the cops to let him go to the hospital, and he said their response was 'Nah, you got to stay here.' He says he was held by the police for hours as his sons languished in the hospital. 

After waiting outside, Mitchell was then handcuffed and taken to the police station, where he was interrogated by detectives. 

Just as he thought he would be set free to go and check on his kids, the detectives directed another cop to take Mitchell to a hospital to draw blood to test him for paternity of the kids. 

'I knew it was bull,' said Mitchell, but he was still in handcuffs. 'I knew better. But I was just trying to get to my kids, I knew I did nothing wrong.' 

After his blood was drawn, he was released to go and see his kids, and the investigators who interrogated him never called back. 

'I was asking to go straight to the hospital to see my kids and they didn’t let me, they surrounded me,' Mitchell said.   

'I mean, how about, ‘Go see, check on your kids and we’ll catch up with you later’? How about that? I mean, I ain’t going nowhere. I’m at the hospital. They know!' he added. 

Zy'Aire and LaMar would die on June 1st and 3rd, respectively. Mitchell said he lost his two best friends. 

Barton has implied publicly that he tried to fire the men but was overruled, fueling speculation of a cover-up by the mayor of Flint

'People who know me know I love my kids. Always had them with me. Always,' said Mitchell, who called his sons his best friends

Fire Chief Raymond Barton for Flint, Michigan, pictured. Todd Flood, a lawyer for the Mitchell family, said the family of the boys 'admire and respect the chief for speaking on the matter'

'People who know me know I love my kids. Always had them with me. Always,' he said.

Mitchell also claims his wife was told he is a suspect by a detective from the Flint Police Department on October 11. 

'I asked how was he a suspect, and I asked about the firefighters, he said, ‘Well, that’s all I can tell you,' said his wife, Crystal Cooper. 

Meanwhile, the two firefighters have maintained their innocence and say they did all they could to save the children. 

'We are not lying, because we did search the bedroom, but did not realize that there was a smaller room attached to it,' one of the firefighters, speaking anonymously, later told local TV outlet ABC12.

But Barton said he determined their previous statements were false, as one boy was eventually found 'to the immediate left' of the main entrance to the room. 

The incident is now being investigated by the Michigan State Police, who called it 'an open and ongoing investigation.'

'This incident is an open and ongoing investigation,' said Lt. Kim Vetter, an MSP spokesperson. 'As such, Michigan State Police (MSP) is unable to provide further information regarding the specific events that occurred following the fire.'

'Once the investigation is finished, the results will be turned over to the Genesee County Prosecutor’s office,' Vetter said.