On January 6, 2015, the city of Flint, Michigan, was the scene of a tragic event involving a 27-year-old Black male named DeAdrin Derice Randle. Known affectionately to his friends and family as "De," Randle was a lifelong resident of the area and a graduate of Bendle/Carman-Ainsworth High School, where he had maintained a high grade point average. He was a self-employed handyman with a reputation for being able to fix anything and was considered a whiz with computers. On that Tuesday, violence erupted on the city’s west side, leading to Randle sustaining fatal gunshot wounds.
Emergency services transported Randle to Hurley Medical Center, but despite medical intervention, he succumbed to his injuries. His death marked a somber start to the new year for the community, being recorded as one of several homicides to occur in Flint during the very first week of 2015. Local authorities, including the Flint Police Department, launched an investigation into the shooting, canvassing the area and seeking information regarding the circumstances that led to the loss of the young father and husband.
At the time of the incident, law enforcement officials worked to piece together the events on the west side of the city. While police were able to identify Randle as the victim shortly after the shooting, public records and reports from the years following the incident have not detailed the apprehension of a suspect or the filing of criminal charges in connection with his death. The case remains part of the archives of gun violence victims in the region, with no specific individuals publicly named as arrested or convicted for the crime in available records. Randle left behind a wife, a son, and a grieving family who remembered him for his generous spirit and his protective nature over the children in his life.
