In the early hours of a summer morning in Detroit, a violent encounter shattered the quiet of a neighborhood on the city's west side. On June 6, 2016, 25-year-old De-Angelo Smith Owens, a Black male, was found shot to death in a house on Brace Street. He was not the only victim of the brutal attack; two others, 15-year-old Jaden Dorris and 22-year-old Errick Durham, also lost their lives in the shooting. The incident, which police would later describe as a targeted event, left a community reeling and a family searching for answers that have yet to come.
The house where the triple homicide occurred was known to law enforcement, having been the subject of two recent police raids related to narcotics. Authorities reported that neighbors heard gunshots around 5 a.m., and upon arrival, they discovered a grim scene. Owens and Dorris were found inside the home, having been shot while they were sleeping, while Durham's body was located near a side door. Police noted signs of a break-in through the basement. While the circumstances pointed towards a potential drug-related motive, Owens's family contended that he was not involved in such activities and was instead attempting to mediate a local dispute when he was killed. His mother shared the heartbreaking detail that her son was a father to five young children.
In the immediate aftermath of the killings, the scene on Brace Street was one of chaos and raw emotion as family and community members gathered, seeking information and grappling with the tragedy. Despite the public outcry and the initial investigation, the case has grown cold. To date, no suspects have been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made in connection with the murders of De-Angelo Smith Owens, Jaden Dorris, and Errick Durham. The case remains an unsolved triple homicide, leaving the families of the victims to mourn their profound loss without the closure of justice. Crime Stoppers of Michigan offered a cash reward for any information that could lead to an arrest, but it has yet to yield a breakthrough in the investigation.
