In the early morning hours of Thursday, February 4, 2021, a quiet residential street in Huntsville, Alabama, became the scene of a fatal shooting. Michael Merrio Donofrio, a 56-year-old male, was discovered lying in the roadway in the 4200 block of Chalet Circle. When police officers arrived at the scene just after 7 a.m. following a shooting call, they found Donofrio deceased from what appeared to be one or more gunshot wounds.
The official cause of his death was pending further investigation.
The investigation into Donofrio's death quickly led to a suspect. Not long after the incident, 24-year-old Martinez Monte Lyles peacefully surrendered to authorities at a MAPCO on Memorial Parkway and University Drive. Following his surrender, Lyles was charged with murder in connection with the shooting of Donofrio. He was subsequently booked into the Madison County Jail.
Investigators believe the tragic event stemmed from a domestic dispute. It is thought that the conflict involved family members of both the victim and the suspect, though the specific nature of the disagreement has not been publicly detailed. The shooting is considered to be the result of this apparent domestic altercation.
