DETROIT – A Detroit man was sentenced Friday for going on a random shooting spree in August 2022, killing three people.
Dontae Smith shot four people and a dog randomly on Aug. 28, 2022. Three victims died, and a man and his dog were injured.
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He was sentenced on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, after pleading guilty to multiple charges.
Man killed, found at church
The first incident happened at 4:45 a.m. on Aug. 28, 2022, in the 19800 block of Wyoming Avenue, according to police.
Smith, who was 19 at the time, shot Chayne Lewis Lee, 28, of Detroit, multiple times.
When Lee fell to the ground, Smith continued to shoot him, according to authorities.
Officers said they found Lee’s body in the doorway of a church. Smith then left the scene.
Girl found dead
Detroit police officers were called at 5:23 a.m. on Aug. 28 to the area of Wyoming and Margareta avenues.
A resident told police that multiple gunshots had been fired and a man in dark clothing with a slender build fled east on Margareta Avenue.
A 16-year-old girl’s body was found in the area, according to authorities. She had been killed by multiple gunshot wounds, officials said.
Second woman killed
A second woman was killed at 6:53 a.m. Sunday in the 19700 block of Livernois Avenue, according to police.
Officers said they were called to the scene and found Lari Briscol, 43, of Detroit, lying on the ground. She was pronounced dead from gunshot injuries.
Investigators learned Smith shot Briscol multiple times before leaving.
Man, dog injured in shooting
The final shooting connected to Smith happened at 7:08 a.m. on Aug. 22 at a home on Pennington Drive.
Smith shot a 76-year-old Detroit man in the leg. He also shot the man’s dog in the foot, police said.
The 76-year-old man was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. He and his dog both survived the shooting, officials said.
Smith arrested, charged
Detroit police investigators and Michigan State Police troopers received a tip about Smith on the following Sunday and performed a search warrant at his home in the 7300 block of Pembroke Avenue.
Smith was arrested inside the home, police said. A gun was also found.
Smith was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, one count of assault with intent to murder, one count of animal cruelty, and five felony firearm violations.
He pleaded guilty but mentally ill to his charges in January 2025.
Shooting stemmed from mental health crisis, says police
Former Detroit Police Chief James White said in 2022 the shooting involved an element of a mental health crisis.
Family members of Smith told police that he was:
1. Hallucinating before the incident
2. Believed family members were trying to kill him
3. Believed the world was coming to an end
Smith sentenced
Victim impact statements were given prior to the judge’s sentencing ruling on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. Lee’s mother and Briscol’s brother provided statements.
The judge asked Smith if he would like to provide a statement before the sentencing ruling, but he declined to speak.
Smith was sentenced to 28 to 50 years in prison.
You can watch the full sentencing hearing below:
