Police in Chesterfield Township, Michigan, have arrested 24-year-old Dejon Drake for the alleged shooting death of Louis Stafford, born Olufemi Jabari Stafford, a Taco Bell manager known for his kind heart and good spirit.
According to Fox 2 Detroit, 27-year-old Stafford managed a Taco Bell Location on 23 Mile Road in Chesterfield Township. He offered to help his employee Drake after he saw the 24-year-old come to work with wet clothing on more than one occasion.
Drake later revealed he was homeless.
“The guy told him that he was basically living in a tent behind the Taco Bell,” Stafford’s cousin, Zonni Juan, told WXYZ Detroit during an interview. Instead of turning a cold shoulder, the Taco Bell lead showed kindness and offered Dake a place to stay at his home. However, the young manager’s kind deed took a dark and twisted turn.
Drake became aggressive and “combative” with Stafford and other employees on the job shortly after he began living with Stafford.
“The people at his job became afraid of him. He started getting really combative. They were like, ‘We’re gonna fire him.’ Louis just kept stepping in, kept trying to advocate for him,” Juan said.
On July 29, Stafford was shot and killed allegedly by Drake after he asked the homeless employee to leave his apartment. Stafford’s mother, Leola, told Fox 2 Detroit that the two were fighting before gunfire erupted.
“The dude didn’t want to leave, and he pushed Louis, and Louis fought back and beat him up, and so he shot him,” she alleged. Stafford died at a nearby hospital.
Now, the grieving mother is mourning the loss of her sweet son, whom she described as a “soft-hearted guy.”
“He was so emotional. He loved cats,” Leola said. “He was a good friend. Never known him to be a bad friend to anybody.” The matriarch added, “He had a good sense of humor, he was a big brother, he was a younger brother.”
According to a press release issued by Macomb County Prosecuting Attorney Peter J. Lucido, Drake allegedly shot Stafford in the chest after he got into an altercation with him outside of his apartment complex. Officers arrived at the scene to find the homeless Taco Bell worker with a semi-automatic pistol. He did not have a valid license for the firearm.
Drake was arrested and is currently being detained at the Macomb County Jail on a $2 million bond. He has been charged with murder in the second degree, carrying a concealed weapon and a felony firearm. The 24-year-old man must also take a mental health assessment and will be required to wear a GPS tether if he is released.
Drake’s hearing is scheduled for Aug. 9, with a preliminary exam to follow on August. 23.
Leola has created a GoFundMe campaign to help give Stafford a proper homegoing. The funds will also be used to assist his girlfriend, who had just moved in with him before the tragic shooting. She was living off of Stafford’s salary and will now have difficulty making ends meet, WXYZ Detroit noted. As of Aug. 7, the campaign has generated over $5,000, about $2,000 shy of its $7,000 goal.
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