In the spring of 2023, the life of 16-year-old Michael Ray Stinnett was tragically cut short in an act of violence that unfolded on a bike path in Lexington, Kentucky. A high school student who had just celebrated his birthday four days prior, Michael was fatally shot on the evening of May 5, 2023, on the Squires Bike Trail, also referred to as a bike path near the corner of Summerhill and Woodspring drives.
The Fayette County coroner pronounced him dead at the scene from a gunshot wound in what was investigated as a homicide. Two other young men, both 19 years old, were also injured in the shooting and transported to a local hospital.
The investigation into the shooting led Lexington police to 19-year-old Stewart Watson. According to court documents, the fatal encounter stemmed from an attempted robbery. Watson allegedly approached Stinnett, who had a handgun visible, and after a brief interaction, attempted to take Stinnett's weapon by placing his own gun on Stinnett's chest. An altercation ensued, during which Watson fired a shot that struck Stinnett in the chest. Stinnett returned fire, injuring Watson before succumbing to his wound. When police arrived, they found Watson lying near a gun, unable to flee due to his injuries.
Following the investigation, Stewart Watson was arrested and charged with murder and first-degree robbery in connection with Michael Stinnett's death. He was booked into the Fayette County Detention Center, with his case later heading to a grand jury. Michael, who was a student at Bryan Station High School, was remembered by family as a person with a big heart and a clever sense of humor, who had faced the early loss of his mother and was reconnecting with his father in the months before his death.
