DETROIT (WWJ) — A Detroit man has pleaded guilty to charges connected to a shooting spree that left three people dead and another wounded in the summer of 2022.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday announced 21-year-old Dontae Smith pleaded guilty but mentally ill to numerous charges, including second-degree murder, attempted murder and various weapons charges.
The charges are in connection with a Sunday morning shooting rampage that killed 28-year-old Chayne Lee, 43-year-old Lari Brisco and a still-unidentified woman, believed to be in her 40s. A 76-year-old man and his dog were also injured in the shooting spree.
Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a release Wednesday “it is not an overstatement to say that on Sunday morning, August 28, 2022, like a scene out of a movie this alleged defendant reigned real terror on the citizens northwest Detroit. Normal, everyday life was brought to a standstill as he moved east to his next victim.”
The rampage began around 4:45 a.m. in the area of Wyoming and Outer Drive, according to prosecutors, when Smith allegedly shot Lee multiple times.
When Lee fell to the ground, Smith continued to shoot Lee, whose body was found lying in the doorway of a Detroit church. Authorities say Smith walked away from the scene.
Less than an hour later, at 5:23 a.m., Detroit police got reports of another shooting about a mile away on Livernois, near Outer Drive.
A resident told responding officers they had heard multiple shots fired and saw a man in dark clothing with a slender build walking east on Margareta Street. Authorities found a lifeless woman lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds.
The prosecutor’s office listed the victim in the Margareta Street shooting as “Jane Doe.” At the time of the shooting, Detroit police released a sketch of the victim and shared a photo of the basketball shorts she was wearing and purse she was carrying.
Shortly before 7 a.m. authorities found Brisco shot to death on Livernois, not far from the scene of the shooting on Margareta. Authorities say Smith shot her multiple times and left the scene.
About 15 minutes after getting the call regarding the shooting of Brisco, officials say a 76-year-old man was outside with his dog when Smith opened fire on them. The man was shot in the leg and the dog was shot in the foot. Both survived the attack, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The FBI, Michigan State Police, Department of Homeland Security and the ATF assisted Detroit police in the investigation.
With a manhunt underway and surveillance photos of Smith shared with the public, authorities got a tip from a relative about Smith. A search warrant was executed at a home on Pembroke near Livernois and Smith was arrested. Police found a gun inside the house.
In all, Smith was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, assault with intent to murder, one count of killing/torturing animals and five counts of felony firearm. He was remanded to jail on the murder charges and received a $1 million bond on the other charges.
Smith pleaded guilty but mentally ill to those charges on Wednesday, with a sentence agreement of 28 to 50 years and two years each for each count of felony firearm.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 28 before Judge Nicholas Hathaway in 36th District Court.