On June 18, 2016, a violent confrontation in Muskegon, Michigan, claimed the life of 17-year-old Black / African American Naethon Darnel Sims. The incident occurred on a Saturday evening around 8:00 p.m. near Sheldon Park on East Isabella Avenue. What began as an argument escalated when gunfire erupted, striking the teenager. Witnesses later testified that Sims was shot in the back as he attempted to flee the scene and was shot again after he had fallen to the ground.
In addition to the fatal injuries sustained by Sims, two other 18-year-old men, identified as his brother and a friend, were also wounded during the shooting but survived their injuries.
Investigators identified the gunman as Royderrick Levan Collier, a 35-year-old man with a significant criminal history, including a prior manslaughter conviction from 1999 for which he had served over a decade in prison. Authorities quickly issued a warrant for his arrest, charging him with open murder, two counts of attempted murder, and felony use of a firearm. Following the shooting, Collier fled the state, prompting a manhunt that lasted for nearly two months. He was eventually located and apprehended by law enforcement officers in Arizona on August 17, 2016, before being extradited back to Michigan to face trial.
During the legal proceedings, Collier waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead for a bench trial where a judge determined the verdict. In his defense, Collier claimed he acted in self-defense, alleging that he fired his weapon only after seeing Sims reach for a gun. However, the forensic evidence and witness testimony, which established that Sims was running away when he was struck, contradicted his account. The judge ultimately rejected the self-defense claim, finding Collier guilty of first-degree premeditated murder, two counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, and three counts of felony-firearm possession. On July 31, 2017, the court sentenced Royderrick Collier to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Naethon Sims, along with concurrent sentences of 8 to 30 years for the assaults and consecutive terms for the weapons charges.
