Darryll Straughter, 48, was working as a security guard at Athens Liquor on Monroe Street in Detroit’s Greektown on the evening of April 15, 2023, when a dispute over someone cutting in line escalated. Witnesses say Straughter, also owner of DNL Security Solutions and known locally as Big D, stepped in to de-escalate. A man later identified as 33-year-old Travis Deshawn Irving allegedly produced a handgun and shot Straughter in the chest. Straughter was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead.

The Detroit Police Department arrested Irving later that day, and 34-year-old Kay Christian was also taken into custody after authorities say she attempted to hide the firearm in her bra while fleeing. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office charged Irving with murder and charged Christian as an accessory. At arraignment in 36th District Court Irving was remanded to jail and Christian received a cash/surety bond. The Greektown community held a candlelight vigil for Straughter, remembered as a gentle giant, husband, father, grandfather, and the owner of a local security firm.

If anyone who knew Darryll or who witnessed the incident has information that could help the ongoing case, please come forward.