In the late hours of a Friday in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the life of 21-year-old Bryce Salter was tragically cut short. On November 11, 2022, Salter, a male who was known for his love of cooking, traveling, and music, was fatally shot in the parking lot of a strip mall near the campus of Western Michigan University. He was a beloved son, brother, and a new father to a four-month-old daughter he would never have the chance to meet.
The events that led to Salter's death began with a
confrontation with 29-year-old Damien Lang of Lansing. Surveillance footage from the scene captured Lang approaching his own vehicle where he then engaged in an altercation with Salter. Lang claimed he believed Salter was attempting to steal his car. During the dispute, Lang produced a firearm, pointed it at Salter's chest, and knocked him to the ground. Despite Salter's attempts to defend himself, Lang shot him.
Following the shooting, Damien Lang was arrested and faced multiple charges, including an open murder charge and six felony weapons charges. In October 2023, a jury found Lang guilty of second-degree murder. The subsequent sentencing in December 2023 brought some measure of closure to Salter's grieving family. The courtroom was filled with his loved ones who delivered emotional victim impact statements. Lang, who was seen smirking during the proceedings, was sentenced to 70 to 100 years in prison for the murder, with additional sentences for felony firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Bryce Salter's family remembered him as a respectful and humble young man who was adored by everyone who knew him. His father described the profound loss and the devastating reality that his granddaughter would only know her father through the memories shared by others. The senseless act of violence left a permanent void in the lives of his family and friends.
