In the early morning hours of August 18, 2018, a violent altercation at an apartment complex on North Donahue Drive in Auburn, Alabama, left two men dead and a woman injured. One of the deceased was 36-year-old Dominique Oneil Key, a Black male. The incident, which erupted around 3:45 a.m., also claimed the life of 23-year-old Omar Trenton Torbert of Tuskegee and resulted in minor injuries to a 61-year-old woman.
Responding to the scene, Auburn Police discovered a complex situation.
Their investigation led them to believe that Torbert was responsible for the shooting of both Key and the injured woman. The specifics of the exchange of gunfire were not publicly detailed. The investigation into the double homicide and assault quickly pointed towards a third individual's involvement in the deadly encounter.
Authorities arrested 26-year-old Demetrious A. Newell Jr. of Cusseta and charged him with one count of murder in relation to the death of Omar Trenton Torbert. At the time of this violent incident, Newell was already out on bond for a previous murder charge from July of the previous year. Following his arrest in connection with the shootings of Key and Torbert, Newell's bond was revoked, and he was taken into custody.
