On November 9, 2022, a workplace dispute tragically escalated, leading to the death of 32-year-old Dorian Carver. The incident began at the Taco Bell on Cochran Road in Scott Township, where Carver was an employee. An argument erupted between Carver and his manager, Zairyre Simmons, then 23, concerning a disciplinary write-up Simmons had recently filed against Carver.
The verbal confrontation turned physical inside the restaurant's vestibule, after which Carver left the establishment. Simmons then retrieved a jacket containing a gun and followed Carver to the nearby Northwestern Mutual Life insurance building, a distance of about 500 feet. Inside the lobby of the building, Simmons shot Carver twice, leading to his death at the scene.
An employee at the Northwestern Mutual office witnessed the shooting and identified Simmons to the authorities. After the shooting, Simmons fled, discarding the firearm, which was later recovered by police and found to have been reported stolen. Later that evening, Simmons turned himself in to the police.
Zairyre Simmons was charged with criminal homicide, receiving stolen property for the stolen gun, and carrying a firearm without a license. His case went to trial, where his defense argued that Simmons acted out of fear, claiming Carver had threatened him. In January 2025, a jury found Simmons guilty of first-degree murder. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, in a later development, a judge granted Simmons a new trial due to a prosecutorial misstep related to the handling of the charges concerning the stolen gun.
