Hollie Stoops was a 41-year-old mother from Lincoln Park, Michigan. On the afternoon of Sunday, May 5, 2024, her life was tragically cut short inside a house in Southwest Detroit. The area was busy with people enjoying vibrant Cinco de Mayo celebrations when the violence erupted.
Around 2 p.m., Detroit police officers responded to a report of a shooting at a residence in the 3800 block of 33rd Street, a home believed to be vacant. Upon arrival, they discovered a grim scene.
Hollie Stoops, a White woman, and 28-year-old May Hernandez of Monroe were found deceased. An investigation determined Stoops died from gunshot wounds to her head and back, and Hernandez from a single gunshot wound to the head. A third victim, a 33-year-old man from Taylor, was also found inside, having sustained non-fatal gunshot wounds to his face and leg. Medics transported him to a local hospital for treatment.
According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, the incident began with an altercation between a man and May Hernandez. Authorities alleged that as the argument escalated, the man produced a handgun and fired it multiple times, striking all three victims. He then fled the scene. An investigation by the Detroit Police Department quickly identified a suspect.
Nine days later, on May 14, 2024, police arrested Gabriel Kieshaun-Dajuan Toler, a 36-year-old man from Taylor. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of assault with intent to murder, one count of felon in possession of a firearm, and four counts of felony firearm. After being arraigned on May 17, Toler was remanded to jail. The case was set to move forward, with Toler's trial on all charges scheduled to begin on April 7, 2025, in Wayne County Circuit Court before Judge Bridget Hathaway. As of April 2025, the case was awaiting trial.
