FLINT, MI -- Family members and community organizers are demanding answers after two crashes involving Michigan State Police troopers have left two Flint women dead in less than a month.

The Rev. Phillip Thompson, a pastor at Flint-based Bethlehem Temple Church, said that his cousin, Jacqueline Nichols, was killed when the vehicle she was driving was struck Thursday, July 3, by a Michigan State Police cruiser pursing a suspect on the city's north side.

Michigan State Police Capt. Gene Kapp, third district commander, declined to identify the victim.

"She was a sweet lady -- really softspoken," Thompson said.

The state police have said a trooper from the Flint Post attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation near North and Pierson Roads. The driver allegedly refused to stop and disregarded a stop sign at the intersection as the trooper pursued. The trooper crashed into Nichols' vehicle while traveling through the intersection.

The vehicle that was being chased was not involved in the crash and drove away, state police said.

Kapp said the preliminary investigation shows that the trooper was pursuing the suspect with the police vehicle's emergency lights and sirens activated.

However, Thompson claims that witnesses at the scene told the family that the trooper was traveling with his emergency lights activated, but no siren.

"There's a lot of anger," Thompson said of his family following his cousin's death. "You don't want to be angry of the people who are supposed to protect you."

Michigan State Police officials said troopers receive specific pursuit training and use the department's policy when making the decision to initiate a pursuit, according to a release issued late Thursday.

Kapp said those policies include using lights and sirens during a pursuit.

Attorney Geoffrey Fieger announced that he would file a $50 million lawsuit on behalf of the victims.

On June 12, Tiphanie Fayette Mayfield, 42, died after she was injured as a result of a crash involving a trooper near Mackin Road and Caldwell Avenue. Mayfield was not involved in the chase.

Authorities say a trooper from the Flint post attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation, but the suspect refused to stop and ignored a yield sign, crashing into a vehicle. The car then crashed into a third vehicle. The troopers in pursuit were also involved in the crash.

Mayfield's friend, Cassandra Bowens, said she had concerns with how troopers handled the pursuit.

"I'm very angry with what the police thought at that time," Bowens said.

Davonte Deshaun Grover, 22, is charged in the pursuit that led to Mayfield's death.

Grover was initially charged with multiple counts of controlled substance delivery, second-degree fleeing a police officer, driving while license suspended causing serious injury and assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer.

However, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton's office has filed a motion in court to seek more-serious charges against Grover following Mayfield's death.

Nearly 270 crashes occurred in Flint from 2005-2013 as a result of police from varying jurisdictions, including Flint police and the Michigan State Police, pursuing a fleeing subject, according to data from the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. The data shows that only two people died as a result of pursuit-related crashes in that nine-year period.

Community organizer and state House candidate Quincy Murphy held a vigil Sunday, July 6, to help raise awareness about the potential dangers civilians face when troopers pursue suspects on city streets.

Murphy said he wants the state police to ensure that their troopers are following protocol when pursuing suspects and not put the lives of bystanders and other drivers at risk.

"Our concern was that if you're not following protocol, we don't want you in our city doing high-speed chases killing innocent people," Murphy said.

Flint Fifth Ward City Councilman Wantwaz Davis is organizing a rally for Monday, July 14, in front of Flint City Hall that will include a protest against the state police chases. The rally also will protest city water rates.

Kapp said he understands the community's concern regarding the two deaths, but emphasized that the incidents should be treated separately.

"We understand that this is a very sensitive issue," Kapp said, adding that he sympathizes with the victims' families.

For Thompson, he hopes the vigils will help open dialogue with police and prevent other families from having to deal with similar tragedies.

"We're not anti-police, that would be ridiculous," Thompson said. "We welcome their presence, but this recklessness is irresponsible."