In the Central District of Seattle, on the evening of January 16, 2022, the life of 36-year-old Michael Darden Jr., a Black / African American male, was tragically cut short. What began as a domestic dispute inside his apartment at 24th and Union escalated into a fatal act of violence. Present in the apartment at the time were Darden, his 14-year-old son, the boy's mother, and her current boyfriend, 28-year-old Deshaun Sanford.
The argument, initially between Sanford and his girlfriend,
turned physical. Sanford reportedly produced a handgun, pointing it at several people in the room. He struck the 14-year-old boy in the face with the weapon and fired a shot into the floor. The teenager managed to push Sanford out of the apartment and lock the door, but his mother let Sanford back inside shortly after. Darden then intervened, telling Sanford that he needed to leave. A struggle ensued, forcing Darden to the floor with Sanford on top of him. Darden's son bravely tried to grab Sanford's arm to prevent him from aiming the gun at his father, but Sanford fired, fatally wounding Michael Darden.
Seattle police, responding to multiple 911 calls, spotted a silver Dodge Challenger leaving the area. The driver, later identified as Sanford, refused to pull over and led officers on a reckless chase. The pursuit ended when Sanford crashed his car into parked vehicles at 19th and Cherry, causing the car to roll onto its side. Police had to break a window to extricate him from the vehicle, where they also found a handgun.
Deshaun Sanford was arrested and subsequently charged with second-degree murder, second-degree assault, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle. He was booked into the King County Jail with bail set at $3 million. The death of Michael Darden, described as a devoted husband to Chuntee Darden and a loving father, left a profound void in the lives of his family and friends. In the wake of his death, the community rallied to support his family, raising thousands of dollars to help with funeral expenses.
