Samuel Patrick Gartley, a 23-year-old White man, was fatally shot on June 5, 2023, during an attempted robbery at his workplace in Detroit’s Russell Industrial Center. He had worked at the artist space for about a year. According to accounts, Gartley managed to return fire and wounded the person who tried to rob him, but then succumbed to his own injuries; he was two days short of his 24th birthday.

The Detroit Police Department arrested a suspect who was hospitalized with injuries sustained during the encounter; by mid-June 2023 an arrest had been made but formal charges had not yet been filed while a warrant was submitted to the prosecutor’s office. Samuel’s mother, Bobi Gartley, has said the family is grieving and believes multiple people were involved, calling for all responsible parties to be arrested.

The case remains an active investigation. If anyone worked with Samuel at the Russell Industrial Center or has information about the attempted robbery, please come forward to assist investigators.