On the evening of December 28, 2022, Tracie Golden, a 53-year-old female respiratory therapist, stopped at the Beverage One liquor store on Grand River Avenue in Detroit on her way home from work. As she returned to her vehicle, a man approached her, shot her in the chest, and then stole her keys and her charcoal gray 2018 Dodge Journey. First responders found Golden critically injured and transported her to Sinai-Grace Hospital, the very place where she had dedicated years to caring for
others. Tragically, she succumbed to her injuries at the hospital. In her final moments, she asked a police officer to call her husband, John.
The senseless act of violence left her family and the community in profound grief. Tracie was a beloved wife, mother, and a respected union steward at her hospital. Her husband, John Golden Jr., described her as his rock and the love of his life; the couple had rekindled their college romance after 30 years apart. The murder, which occurred just days after Christmas, was described by Detroit Police Chief James White as a cowardly act that took one of the community's best.
Investigators immediately launched an intensive search for the suspect, utilizing surveillance video from the liquor store. The day after the shooting, Golden's stolen SUV was found at the scene of another crime—an armed robbery at a Family Dollar store on East 7 Mile Road. Investigators reviewed the video from this second robbery and noticed the suspect had a distinctive walk, which helped them connect him to Tracie Golden's murder. This crucial piece of evidence, along with tips from the community, led police to identify their suspect as 19-year-old Bradley Doss Thurman.
On January 13, 2023, after careful surveillance, Detroit police arrested Bradley Thurman on the street. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office charged him with a litany of felonies, including first-degree murder, felony murder, armed robbery, and multiple felony firearm violations. He was arraigned and held on a $4 million cash bond. Authorities stated that the motive for the attack was robbery and that Tracie Golden was a random victim. While the investigation continued, the arrest brought a small measure of relief to a grieving family and a shocked community.
