Elijah Joseph Brooks, a 19-year-old Black man from Lansing, Michigan, is remembered by those who knew him as a funny and loving person. His life was abruptly and violently ended on a cold afternoon, Monday, January 10, 2022.
That day, Elijah was spending time with his girlfriend, Courtney Norris, and her young son. After running some errands, Elijah asked to be dropped off at an apartment complex in the 700 block of North Pennsylvania Avenue, known locally as "The Bricks Apartments," to meet some friends. The time was approximately 4:47 p.m. Shortly after Elijah entered the building, gunshots rang out in a hallway.
Norris, who was still in her vehicle in the parking lot, witnessed the shooter and immediately called 911. She identified the gunman and reported that he had also fired at her van as she frantically drove away, damaging her driver's side mirror.
Lansing Police Department officers responded to reports of the shooting and found Elijah inside the apartment building, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. First aid was administered at the scene before he was rushed to a local hospital, but his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
Investigators with the Lansing Police Department quickly determined the shooting was not a random act. Their investigation led them to identify 18-year-old Davion Tashawn Davis as the suspect. Four days after the shooting, on January 14, the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office issued a warrant for Davis's arrest. That same day, Davis turned himself in to the authorities.
Davis was arraigned on charges of open murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder, and two counts of felony firearm. A judge set his bond at $100,000. The case proceeded through the Ingham County court system, culminating in a jury trial.
In March 2024, a jury found Davion Davis guilty of first-degree premeditated murder in the death of Elijah Brooks. He was also convicted of one count of assault with intent to commit murder for shooting at Courtney Norris, and two counts of felony firearm. He was acquitted on a second charge of assault with intent to murder related to Norris's 10-year-old son, who was in the vehicle with her. On June 5, 2024, Davis was sentenced by Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina. For the first-degree murder conviction, he received a sentence of 40 to 80 years in prison. He was also sentenced to 25 to 60 years for the assault conviction, and a mandatory two years for each of the felony firearm convictions. An appeal of the conviction was later denied in February 2026.
The case against Davis revealed that he had been in the apartment building just before the shooting and was seen on video leaving shortly after the gunshots were fired. The motive appeared to stem from a conflict between Davis and Brooks, with evidence presented at trial that included threats Davis had made to assault the victim.
Following his death, services for Elijah were held on January 24, 2022, at the Riley Funeral Home in Lansing, where family and friends gathered to mourn the loss of a young life. The investigation remains closed as of March 2024, with the conviction and sentencing of the man responsible for Elijah Brooks's death. Anyone with further information regarding the case was asked to contact the Lansing Police Department or CrimeStoppers.
