On the evening of February 22, 2021, what initially appeared to be a two-car crash on I-96 near Grand River in Detroit quickly unfolded into a scene of violence and tragedy. Michigan State Troopers, upon investigating the scene at approximately 8:12 p.m., discovered 31-year-old Bernard Waller on the westbound shoulder of the freeway. He had sustained several gunshot wounds and was deceased.
The incident was not a mere traffic accident but the result of a shooting.
Further investigation revealed that Waller was in a Dodge Durango with his girlfriend when they were fired upon by an individual in a Dodge Charger. The shooting resulted in Waller's death. In the ensuing chaos, another man, 27-year-old Emmanuel Woodward, who was also from Detroit, was struck and killed by a vehicle as he attempted to flee across the eastbound lanes of the freeway.
In the days following the incident, authorities identified a suspect in connection with Bernard Waller's murder. David Easterly, a 39-year-old man from Detroit, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, assault with intent to murder, felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, and multiple counts of felony firearm. Easterly was no stranger to the criminal justice system; he had a prior conviction for second-degree murder from 1998 when he was a teenager and had been released from prison in June 2020.
Following his arrest, David Easterly was arraigned and remanded to jail. His probable cause conference was scheduled for March 9, 2021, with a preliminary examination set for March 16, 2021. The case highlighted the tragic consequences of gun violence on the city's freeways and brought to light the suspect's history of violent crime.
