Chayne Lewis Lee, a 28-year-old Black man described by his family as goofy and the life of the party, was a father, a twin, and a musician with a "heart of gold." His mother, Myha Lee, said he was the person you called for a laugh, someone dependable who knew how to make you feel good. His grandmother recalled his infectious smile and how he always ended their phone calls with, "Grandma, you know I love ya."
Family members said that if you met Chayne, you wouldn't forget him.
In the early morning of August 28, 2022, Chayne became the first victim in a terrifying shooting spree that unfolded across northwest Detroit. At approximately 4:45 a.m., he was found shot multiple times in the doorway of the Beulah Grove Baptist Church in the 19800 block of Wyoming Avenue, a church owned by his grandfather. The gunman reportedly walked away after the initial shots, only to return and fire again. The violence continued for nearly two and a half hours as the shooter targeted people at random. Less than an hour later, a 16-year-old girl was found shot to death three blocks away. At 6:53 a.m., Lari Brisco, a 43-year-old single mother of five, was killed while waiting for a bus. The final attack occurred around 7:10 a.m., when 76-year-old John Palik was shot in the leg while walking his dog, Kingston; both survived.
Investigators from the Detroit Police Department and Michigan State Police quickly realized they were dealing with an active shooter. At each scene, they found 9mm shell casings that came from the same gun. The seemingly random nature of the attacks put the city on edge until a critical breakthrough came later that day. A tip from a relative of the suspected shooter led law enforcement to a home in the 7300 block of Pembroke Avenue.
Police arrested 19-year-old Dontae Ramon Smith inside the residence without incident and recovered a handgun that was matched to the casings found at the crime scenes. Smith’s family told police that he had been hallucinating and believed the world was coming to an end. He was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, one count of assault with intent to murder, and one count of animal cruelty, among other felony charges.
In January 2025, Dontae Ramon Smith pleaded guilty but mentally ill to the charges stemming from the shooting spree, bringing a legal resolution to the case that had terrorized the city of Detroit.
