Do you know who murdered Sherrol White? Sherrol White, a 27-year-old Black woman, was killed on the morning of November 27, 2017, inside a home on Detroit’s west side, where she had spent the night trying to help a friend who was frightened of an escalating domestic situation. Police said multiple children were inside the home when the violence erupted, turning what should have been an ordinary morning into a frantic scramble for survival.
In the hours leading up to the shooting, White had come to the Wreford Street house to support her friend, Sabrina Cotton, a new mother who had been trying to stay out of reach of her child’s father. Cotton had an active personal protection order, and the arrangement was meant to be temporary safety—one night behind a locked door, away from the repeated threats and the fear that wouldn’t let her sleep. White was deeply woven into that family’s daily life, described as the baby’s godmother, someone who showed up when things got hard.
Just after 7 a.m., authorities said Cotton’s estranged boyfriend forced his way into the home and began firing. Cotton was struck and managed to escape with a child, while White was shot inside. The situation then spiraled into a barricade response as police and a special response team converged on the house; when officers entered, they found White dead, and the shooter dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A newborn was also found suffering from hypothermia and was taken for medical care. In the aftermath, Cotton survived despite being shot multiple times, later recounting that White was hit first and that the attack unfolded in terrifying seconds.
The suspect was identified in later reporting as 37-year-old Michael Larkins, Cotton’s ex-boyfriend, meaning there were no arrests or court proceedings tied to White’s killing because the shooter died at the scene. Instead, what remained was a devastated family and a community trying to make sense of how quickly protective plans can fail when an abuser decides the rules no longer apply. White’s death was recorded as occurring on November 27, 2017, and loved ones spoke publicly about the promise they believed she carried into adulthood—an ordinary life, cut off in a place she went only to keep someone else safe.
