On a Tuesday morning, February 1, 2022, Raymondo Bankhead, a 60-year-old man, was in a liquor store in the 9900 block of Wyoming Street in Detroit. At approximately 11:12 a.m., a verbal altercation broke out inside the store between two other men, James Deberry, 57, and John Edward-Dayter Montgomery, 44. An employee of the store intervened and told Deberry and Montgomery to leave.
The argument continued into the parking lot, where it escalated into physical violence.
Montgomery allegedly assaulted Deberry with a metal bar. In response, Deberry grabbed a crowbar and struck Montgomery in the head multiple times. At that point, Montgomery pulled out a handgun and fired two shots. One of the bullets fatally wounded Deberry, and the other struck Raymondo Bankhead, who was an innocent bystander with no involvement in the dispute.
When Detroit police officers arrived at the scene, they found both Mr. Bankhead and Mr. Deberry with gunshot wounds. Medics pronounced Mr. Bankhead deceased at the scene. Mr. Deberry was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
John Edward-Dayter Montgomery was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of felony firearm. He was arraigned in 36th District Court, with a probable cause conference scheduled for February 22, 2022, and a preliminary examination for March 1, 2022.
