In the early morning hours of April 8, 2019, Jamie Mintz, a 70-year-old male Vietnam veteran, was fatally shot in his Detroit, Michigan, home. The tragic incident unfolded at approximately 4:38 a.m. on Mansfield Street when Mintz discovered that his granddaughter had allowed her 16-year-old boyfriend, David Kentrell Williams, into the residence. An argument ensued when Mintz confronted the teenager and asked him to leave.
The verbal altercation escalated into a physical struggle over a
handgun. During the tussle, the firearm discharged, and a single bullet struck Mintz in the chest. Williams fled the scene with the weapon, leaving the beloved grandfather fatally wounded. Family members, who described Mintz as a laid-back and easy-going man who had just celebrated his 70th birthday, were left devastated by the sudden violence that shattered their lives. They noted that surveillance cameras were present both inside and outside the home.
Following an investigation by the Detroit Police Department, David Kentrell Williams was identified as the suspect. He was later arrested and, at the age of 17, arraigned on June 27, 2019. The charges brought against him included second-degree murder and felony weapon possession. The authorities were initially uncertain about the ownership of the gun used in the shooting. The arrest brought a measure of progress for the grieving family of Jamie Mintz, a man remembered as a good father, uncle, brother-in-law, and husband.
