A Pontiac man has been charged with first-degree murder for allegedly shooting his stepfather as the man sat in a salt-spreading truck — a crime that authorities said they unraveled with the help of doorbell cameras, a drone, police dogs and ShotSpotter technology.
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office announced the charges on Wednesday, Dec. 3, against 26-year-old Terrell Quayshawn Edwards, alleging he fired five shots at his stepfather, Antonio Craig, striking him four times as he was seated inside a truck near his home in Pontiac on Nov. 29. Prosecutors said footage from doorbell cameras and ShotSpotter technology, which detects the sound of and general direction of gunshots, helped identify the defendant, who was arrested the same night as the incident.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Edwards was arrested about two hours after deputies discovered a pickup truck equipped with a salt spreader stopped in the middle of Karen Court, just south of Hopkins Avenue, shortly before 7:30 p.m. The deputies found the victim unresponsive inside the truck and immediately attempted lifesaving measures, during which they observed he had multiple gunshot wounds. He did not survive.
Law enforcement officers, multiple K9 units and a drone unit were dispatched to the scene to assist in the investigation, which ultimately led to the arrest of Edwards. A patrol unit tracked the suspect down and stopped the vehicle he was in. Edwards was arrested at about 9:40 p.m. in the parking lot of a Waterford Township restaurant at Dixie Highway and Scott Lake Road.
“With swift, coordinated work and the full strength of our combined resources, our team was able to identify the suspect in this senseless homicide, locate him, and take him into custody,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. “I look forward to seeing him held fully accountable.”
Edwards is currently jailed pending the outcome of his case. His attorney was not readily available for comment.
The victim’s family, meanwhile, has been reeling since the tragic loss of a man they described as a “genuine guy” and family man who worked as a supervisor at a landscaping company.
“I’m still lost … lost,” Craig’s widow, Kimberly Craig, told CBS News after learning her partner of decades had died. “This was so sudden … just tragic, just… mind-blowing.”
According to Craig, her husband didn’t “have beef with nobody, never. He was just a genuine guy.”
“For all of us, it’s just crazy … devastating” Craig said.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said her office will work to hold the killer accountable.
“Antonio Craig was loved by many, and his loss will be felt in the community,” McDonald said. “Our thoughts are with his loved ones as we work to hold his killer accountable.”
If convicted, Edwards faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole on the first-degree murder charge. He is also charged with felony firearm and being a felon in possession of a weapon.
Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pontiac man charged with stepdad’s murder because of doorbell cameras
Reporting by Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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