In the early morning hours of June 26, 2024, the lives of two families in Flint, Michigan, were irrevocably shattered by an act of gun violence. Dominique Jawan Ward, a 15-year-old Black male, was fatally shot in what would become a double homicide investigation. The incident unfolded at approximately 1:20 a.m. in the 1300 block of Banbury Place, a residential area that was soon flooded with the flashing lights of police cars and emergency vehicles.
When officers from the Flint Police
Department arrived at the scene, they discovered a grim tableau. Dominique was found with gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the location. Alongside him was another young victim, 13-year-old Dontavis James Moore, who was also suffering from critical injuries. Emergency medical personnel rushed Dontavis to a nearby hospital, but tragically, he succumbed to his wounds and was pronounced deceased. The violent and untimely deaths of the two teenagers sent a wave of shock and grief through the Flint community, casting a harsh light on the persistent issue of youth violence.
In the wake of the double homicide, law enforcement officials launched an intensive investigation to piece together the events that led to the shooting and to identify those responsible. The efforts of the Flint Police Department culminated in the arrest of a suspect. Nineteen-year-old Ryan Michael Davis was taken into custody in connection with the deaths of Dominique Ward and Dontavis Moore.
Following his arrest, Ryan Davis was arraigned on a severe 17-count warrant. The charges leveled against him were extensive and included two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of the two teenagers. Additionally, he faced three counts of assault with intent to murder, two counts of discharging a firearm in or at a building causing death, and seven counts of felony firearm. The warrant also included charges of gang membership felonies, using a computer to commit a crime, and carrying a concealed weapon, painting a picture of a complex and serious criminal case. The investigation also suggested a possible connection between this fatal incident and another deadly shooting that had occurred just hours earlier on Hilton Lane, indicating a potential escalation of violence in the area.
