On a warm summer night in Detroit, what began as a birthday celebration ended in a senseless act of violence that claimed the life of 20-year-old Darryle Girard Miller Jr. In the early hours of August 15, 2010, Miller, a young man with a promising future, was leaving a downtown nightclub with friends when they were confronted by an armed assailant.
The attacker's focus was a pair of expensive Cartier sunglasses worn by Miller.
As Miller and his friends attempted to flee, the gunman pursued him. After snatching the coveted glasses, the assailant fired his weapon, fatally wounding the young man. The tragic irony was not lost on his grieving family; Miller had worked diligently to afford the very item that led to his death. He was the father of a young daughter.
A graduate of Northwestern High School, Miller was a talented basketball player who was reportedly a student at Tiffin University in Ohio, with aspirations of transferring to Georgetown University on a basketball scholarship. His death sent shockwaves through his community, leaving friends and family to mourn the loss of a life cut short over a material possession.
In the aftermath of the shooting, which occurred around 2 a.m. near Fort Street and Cass Avenue, authorities launched an investigation. CrimeStoppers of Michigan offered a cash reward of up to $2,500 for any information that would lead to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for Miller's murder. Despite the public appeal for help and the reward, there have been no reports of any arrests, and the case of who killed Darryle Girard Miller Jr. remains unresolved. The suspect, or suspects, responsible for this brutal act have yet to be brought to justice.
