On the afternoon of October 14, 2024, a burst of gunfire on Haverhill Street on Detroit’s east side left 20-year-old Tavontae Mathis-Jones dead and three others wounded. Mathis-Jones was taken to St. John Ascension Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The other victims included a 20-year-old man in critical condition, a 19-year-old man, and a 44-year-old woman with non-life-threatening injuries.

Family and friends remember Mathis-Jones as a gentle giant who recently graduated from Denby High School, played football, and was devoted to his 6-month-old daughter. His father, Cornelius Brown, said he had raised Tavontae since he was three and believed Tavontae was trying to be a peacemaker when the altercation escalated into gunfire.

The Detroit Police Department is actively investigating and has conducted door-to-door canvassing while urging anyone with information to contact them or submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers. If anyone knew Tavontae or saw or heard anything on Haverhill Street that afternoon, please come forward with information.