In the late summer evening of August 2nd, 2025, a planned meeting to smoke marijuana at Stoepel Park on Detroit's west side turned deadly. What should have been a casual encounter between acquaintances escalated into a violent outburst that left one young man dead and another injured. The man police say is responsible, 20-year-old Joshua Watts, now faces a litany of serious charges for his alleged actions that day.
According to the Detroit Police Department, Watts had arranged to meet
with Leothis Daniels and Julian Hill, both also 20 years old, at the park. However, when Watts arrived and saw the two men, he allegedly opened fire on their vehicle. The sudden eruption of gunfire shattered the evening's calm and left both Daniels and Hill with serious injuries. The two were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Despite the efforts of medical staff, Leothis Daniels succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. The incident quickly became a homicide investigation, with detectives working to piece together the events that led to the fatal shooting. Their investigation pointed them toward Joshua Watts as the primary suspect in the deadly assault.
In a turn of events, Watts was taken into custody by the Michigan State Police in connection with a separate and unrelated shooting that occurred after the August 2nd incident. Following his arrest, he was formally charged in the death of Leothis Daniels. The charges filed against him are extensive and include one count of first-degree premeditated murder, causing death by discharging a firearm from a vehicle, causing injury by discharging a firearm from a vehicle, assault with intent to murder, carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent, and five counts of felony firearm.
