In the summer of 2022, the life of 39-year-old Dominic Daughtrey was cut short in a west Phoenix apartment complex parking lot. On the night of June 3rd, Daughtrey was found inside his parked white Ford F-150 truck, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency services responded to a call about a shooting near 39th and Grand avenues around 10:30 p.m., but Daughtrey was pronounced dead at the scene.
For his family, who described him as a devoted father to his young daughter and a man with a 'large, vibrant smile and infectious laugh,' the news was devastating. His presence in that area of Phoenix was a mystery to them, as his life and work as a construction consultant were primarily based in Gilbert and Mesa.
The investigation into Daughtrey's death stretched on for two years, a period of agonizing uncertainty for his loved ones who offered a substantial reward for any information that would lead to an arrest. The breakthrough in the case came from a seemingly insignificant item left at the scene: a blue baseball cap. Investigators were able to extract a DNA sample from the hat which, combined with other evidence gathered over the long investigation, eventually pointed them to a suspect.
In October 2024, more than two years after the shooting, Phoenix police arrested 31-year-old Steven Rashaad Deloach. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder in connection with Dominic Daughtrey's death. Court documents revealed that the motive may have stemmed from a prior altercation where Daughtrey had reportedly used a stun gun on a friend of Deloach. It is alleged that on the night of the murder, Deloach, who was also known as 'Ras,' lay in wait before approaching Daughtrey's truck and opening fire. Further evidence against Deloach came from his ex-girlfriend, who told investigators that he had confessed to killing someone at that location the previous year.
