The teenager accused of carrying out a random shooting spree in Detroit over the weekend was charged Wednesday with three counts of first-degree murder.
Dontae Ramon Smith, 19, is also charged with one count of assault with intent to murder, one count of animal cruelty and five counts of felony firearm, Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement.
Smith is accused of opening fire on the victims in four locations early Sunday morning.
At 4:45 a.m., Smith allegedly shot Chayne Lewis Lee, 28, multiple times in the 19880 block of Wyoming Avenue, Worthy said. When Lee fell to the ground, Smith kept shooting him, according to the prosecutor. Lee was found dead lying in the doorway of a church.
Smith then fatally shot a woman less than an hour later on Wyoming and Margareta avenues, Worthy’s statement said. The woman, who has not been identified, was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds.
At 6:53 a.m., Smith shot Lari Briscol, 43, multiple times in the 19790 block of Livernois and fled the scene, according to the statement. Briscol was a single mother of five who was waiting for a ride when she was killed, her boss said.
Fifteen minutes later, Smith shot John Palik, 76, in the leg and Palik’s dog in the foot at home on Pennington Drive, Worthy said. Both survived.
“It is not an overstatement to say that on Sunday morning, August 28, like a scene out of a movie this alleged defendant reigned real terror on the citizens northwest Detroit,” the prosecutor said. “Normal, everyday life was brought to a standstill as he moved east to his next victim,” Worthy said.
Police had released a security video image of a young adult in black clothing, including a hoodie, to get tips from the public.
Worthy’s statement said police received a tip from a relative of Smith, and when police searched his home, they found a gun.
Smith is due to be arraigned at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. It’s unclear if he has a lawyer.