A 19-year-old woman was shot in the face and killed while standing on the front porch of 54-year-old homeowner in Dearborn Heights, an inner-ring suburb of Detroit.
The 19-year-old, Renisha McBride, was black.
The homeowner, Theodore Paul Wafer, is white.
There have been 40 other murders in Detroit since October 1, but this is the one in the spotlight. In a city plagued by so many racial complexities, this story resonates with people.
Here's what we know
- At around 1 a.m. on Saturday, November 2, 2013, a 911 call came in about a single car crash.
- McBride's family believed she was the driver of the car.
- Police arrived at the scene of the crash around 1:40 a.m., but McBride was not at the scene.
- Sometime later, McBride was shot in the face by Theodore Paul Wafer while standing on his front porch.
- His house is around six blocks from the scene of the car crash in Dearborn Heights.
- Wafer said he did not know the person he shot and says his shotgun discharged accidentally.
- According to the Wayne County prosecutors' office, Wafer's shot went through a locked screen door.
- The prosecutor said the main door to the home was open.
- There is no evidence of attempted forced entry into Wafer's home, according to the prosecutor's office.
- A toxicology report found the McBride was intoxicated at the time.
- No toxicology assessment was made on Wafer at the time, according to the prosecutor.
- A call was made to 911 by Wafer around 4:45 a.m.
- Here is the 911 dispatch call:
Here's what we don't know
- What happened between the time she crashed her car (around 1 a.m.) and the time Wafer made the 911 call (around 4:45 a.m.).
- How Wafer was holding his weapon. He said it discharged accidentally.
- How far away Wafer was from McBride when the gun discharged.
- What was said between Wafer and McBride, if anything.
- Whether Wafer was intoxicated or not (no toxicology report was done, according to prosecutors).
