DeAngelo Turner

DeAngelo Turner, a 25-year-old Black man known as a loving father, was shot and killed in a brazen daylight attack inside a Detroit, Michigan, gas station on June 16, 2015. Remembered as a dedicated father to his three-year-old son, DeAngelo had also been a player in the Police Athletic League (P.A.L.) football league. His death left his family, particularly his mother and young child, with a loss that would ripple through their lives for years to come.

The tragic events unfolded around 3:00 p.m. at the BP gas station at 7305 Grand River Avenue, near West Grand Boulevard on the city's west side. DeAngelo had stopped at the station to make a purchase when he became involved in a verbal altercation with another man, later identified as 34-year-old Timothy Michael Wright. The argument escalated with shocking speed when Wright pulled out a handgun and began shooting. The entire horrifying incident was captured on the store’s surveillance cameras.

The video footage showed Wright hunting for DeAngelo inside the store, which was occupied by several other customers, including children. A Detroit Police homicide detective later described Wright’s actions as premeditated, stating, "His main objective was to go in there and kill someone." The footage captured Wright chasing DeAngelo down a snack aisle while holding a pistol. As he pursued him, Wright fired his weapon multiple times. DeAngelo tried to pull items from the shelves to defend himself before falling to the ground and curling into a fetal position. Wright then stood directly over him and fired his weapon again at point-blank range. DeAngelo was rushed to a hospital but died from his injuries.

In the immediate aftermath, the Detroit Police Department launched an investigation and publicly identified Timothy Wright as the suspect. They warned that he was armed and dangerous, and a manhunt ensued. DeAngelo's family was left in a state of shock and profound grief. His mother, Valerie Wilks, made a series of emotional public appeals for help in finding her son's killer. "You didn't just kill anyone Timothy Michael Wright, you killed my first born," she said at a press conference. She spoke of the difficulty of explaining the loss to her three-year-old grandson, who would ask, "Nana take me to the hospital to see my daddy." Crime Stoppers of Michigan offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to Wright's capture.

After a period as a fugitive, Timothy Wright was apprehended, arrested, and charged with the murder of DeAngelo Turner. He stood trial in Wayne County Circuit Court. During a bench trial, prosecutors presented the overwhelming evidence, including the chilling surveillance footage from the gas station. Wright claimed he acted in the heat of passion, alleging that DeAngelo had knocked him off his bicycle with a car earlier that day, but the court found this testimony not credible.

Ultimately, Timothy Wright was found guilty of first-degree premeditated murder, felon in possession of a firearm, and a second offense of felony-firearm. The court sentenced him to a mandatory term of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder conviction, in addition to sentences for the firearms charges. His subsequent appeals were denied, with courts affirming the conviction. As of May 2024, court records show that Timothy Wright is confined at the Macomb Correctional Facility in New Haven, Michigan. Though justice was served, it could never undo the pain of DeAngelo's family. His mother’s words during the search for Wright captured the enduring agony of her loss: "I want you to every time you close your eyes, I want you to see his mother on her knees... and I want that to haunt you until you are brought to justice."