On a cold Thursday night in Detroit, Michigan, 41-year-old Amir Thaxton, a male graphic artist, was working late inside his clothing and T-shirt shop on 8 Mile Road. It was February 20, 2020, and the father of three was engrossed in his work, unaware of the violence that was about to befall him. A man he was familiar with, Kenyel Brown, entered the shop. The encounter turned deadly when Brown shot Thaxton, killing him in his place of business.
After the shooting, Brown stole money, valuables, and Thaxton's Caravan, leaving a scene of tragedy for authorities to discover. Thaxton's family was left in shock and disbelief, struggling to understand why he would be targeted.
The investigation into Amir Thaxton's murder quickly focused on Kenyel Brown as the prime suspect. Surveillance footage from the day of the murder captured Brown visiting Thaxton at his store. This evidence, combined with Brown's already established pattern of violent crime, solidified him as the main person of interest. At the time of Thaxton's death, Brown was already a fugitive, wanted in connection with a string of other homicides in the Metro Detroit area, including three in River Rouge. The U.S. Marshals had initiated a manhunt for Brown, considering him armed and extremely dangerous.
The search for Kenyel Brown came to a dramatic and violent end on February 24, 2020, just four days after Amir Thaxton's murder. Acting on a tip, police located Brown at an adult bookstore in Oak Park. As law enforcement closed in, Brown attempted to flee, leading to a foot chase through a residential neighborhood. Cornered in a backyard, and with no escape, Kenyel Brown shot himself in the head. He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and died from his injuries four days later, on February 28, 2020. Brown's death brought an end to his killing spree, and with him, the potential for a trial and conviction in the murder of Amir Thaxton. The investigation revealed a troubling history, as it was discovered that Brown, a dangerous and violent felon, had been working as a police informant.
