Man accused of killing two others over dice game, arraigned in Oakland County
Davonte Demetri Franklin
PONTIAC, Mich (FOX 2) - Davonte Demetri Franklin, 32, of Detroit is charged with two counts of murder among other lesser charges after a dice game went wrong and he lost $80 earlier this week in Pontiac.
Franklin is also charged with three counts of using a firearm to commit a felony, and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm during the Oct. 7 shooting.
In another example of unnecessary violence spilling out into the open, the sheriff added a bizarre detail that officers learned during the investigation: the suspect had tried using a potato as a silencer.
"And it didn’t work obviously because we got calls from people about hearing gunshots," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
The 32-year-old suspect was picked up by members of the office's fugitive apprehension taskforce, being taken into custody on Eight Mile and Evergreen in Southfield Tuesday night. He was found carrying groceries and a case of beer.
However, the fatal shooting happened miles away in Pontiac.
"I have been in this a long time, but it is still shocking to see the lack of value some people place on a human life," Bouchard said. "I look forward to him being held accountable. I am proud of our substation, all our detectives and our partners for the effort that brought this cold-blooded killer into custody within 12 hours."
Franklin is charged in Tuesday’s slaying of Sidney Ward III, 20, of Highland Park, and Tyrone Davis Glenn Jr., 24, of Pontiac.
The homicide happened in an apartment in the 100 block of North Sanford Street near Fiddis Avenue in Pontiac. Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the apartment after a 911 caller reported gun shots had been fired. Ward was pronounced dead at the scene and Glenn was taken to a hospital where he died a short time later.
The suspect left the scene in an Uber before deputies tracked him down.
"Extreme violence over nothing; the lack of walking away from a situation you intentionally put yourself in," Bouchard said. "You were gambling and you didn’t like the outcome. Quit gambling, how about that?"
Detectives were conducting surveillance at a variety of locations and spotted the suspect walking on the sidewalk on Eight Mile Road. He was carrying two grocery bags and a case of beer when he was arrested. Detectives were assisted in the case by Detroit and Southfield police and special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Franklin is due back in court Oct. 22 in the 50th District Court in Pontiac.