Mary Unique Spears, 27, was fatally shot outside the American Legion Joe Louis Post No. 375 on Detroit’s east side in the early morning hours of October 5, 2014. She was attending a family memorial when a man she did not know began persistently harassing her despite polite rejections and her fiancé’s presence. The man, identified in reports as 38-year-old Mark Dorch, was escorted from the building by security but remained outside. As Mary and her family left, Dorch opened fire into the crowd. Mary was killed at the scene and five others, including her fiancé and relatives, were wounded.

Police arrested Dorch at the scene and recovered the weapon. He was charged with first-degree murder, multiple counts of assault with intent to murder, and felony firearm possession. At trial Dorch claimed self-defense, but witnesses and video evidence contradicted that account, showing him harassing Spears and firing after a confrontation with her fiancé. The case resulted in convictions and a lengthy prison sentence.