On a cold night in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the life of 18-year-old Deshontae Dewayne Ellis was cut short. The Black/African American male was fatally shot on January 2, 2016, in the parking lot of the Red Roof Inn in Oshtemo Township. The tragic events of that evening unfolded at a party being held at the motel. A dispute that began between some girls at the gathering quickly escalated and spilled out into the parking lot.
Amid the chaos, with many underage individuals in attendance,
several gunshots were fired. Deshontae was struck by a bullet while he was inside a car. When the Kalamazoo Sheriff's Department arrived just after midnight, they found a scattered scene as partygoers fled in the wake of the violence. The investigation that followed pieced together the moments leading to the fatal shooting, with witnesses providing crucial information. One witness recounted unknowingly transporting potential suspects to and from the motel.
The investigation led to the identification of a suspect: 18-year-old Nasi Moshe Ben-Yaisrael, also from Kalamazoo. Authorities determined that Ben-Yaisrael had ambushed Ellis, shooting him in the chest. Subsequently, Ben-Yaisrael was arrested and charged with murder. In September of 2016, a jury found Nasi Moshe Ben-Yaisrael guilty of murder. He received a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role in the death of Deshontae Dewayne Ellis.
