On a summer evening in Detroit, Michigan, a barbecue among acquaintances took a tragic and violent turn, ending the life of 31-year-old Ronnie Charles Ray, II. The male victim was attending a gathering on Pierson Street on August 21, 2022, when an argument erupted over something as trivial as barbecue chicken. The dispute quickly escalated, and just before 9:30 p.m., Ray was fatally shot.
The man identified as the shooter was 29-year-old Deveius Monta Weathers of Eastpointe. Following the shooting, Weathers fled the scene. Investigators were able to track him to a home on Heyden Street, where a tense situation unfolded. Weathers barricaded himself inside the house with a 2-year-old girl, believed to be his daughter, leading to a standoff with police that lasted for approximately five hours. During the standoff, Weathers negotiated with law enforcement and at one point offered to exchange the child for a pack of cigarettes. He eventually surrendered, emerging from the house with the child in his arms.
Weathers was subsequently arrested and faced multiple charges, including first-degree murder, carrying a concealed weapon, third-degree fleeing and eluding, and felony firearm. It was later revealed that at the time of the shooting, Weathers was already out on bond for an unrelated charge of shooting at his girlfriend in late 2020. A GPS tether he was wearing in connection with that case played a crucial role in locating him and the murder weapon.
