On a late summer evening in Detroit, 27-year-old Turhan Clay, an African American man, was fatally shot on Tuesday, August 8, 2017. Known affectionately as 'Turk' to his friends and family, he was walking near a bus stop on Woodward Avenue and State Fair on the city's west side at approximately 11:45 p.m. He was in the company of another Black male who was identified as 'Smoke'.
From the darkness of nearby bushes, a masked man suddenly appeared and began to fight with Turhan. The altercation tragically escalated, and during the struggle, Turhan was shot and killed. Emergency medical services pronounced him dead at the scene, his body lying in the middle of the street. He left behind a young son named Jamir and two brothers. A graduate of Pershing High School, Turhan was working at a local bakery with aspirations of becoming a pastry chef.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Detroit police announced they were searching for three suspects. The suspected shooter was described as a Black male, standing at 6'3' tall, and wearing a gray hoodie, a white mask, and red pants. He was seen fleeing the area with a gun. Despite this description, no arrests have been made in the years following Turhan's death. The case has grown cold, leaving his family searching for answers and justice. Crime Stoppers has offered a cash reward for any information that leads to an arrest. Turhan's mother has expressed her profound grief and frustration with the lack of progress in the investigation, stating that she had not been contacted by the police department for a significant period. The case remains an unsolved homicide.
