DETROIT – Four guns were discovered in the dining room microwave and basement dryer of a Detroit man who had been linked to shell casings found by police at five different scenes, officials said.
Deshawn Lapreace Landers, 33, of Detroit, is accused of felon in possession of a firearm in a criminal complaint that was unsealed Friday, April 21.
Shooting outside Boost Mobile store
Detroit police were called Aug. 12, 2022, to the Boost Mobile cellphone store at 19100 Van Dyke Avenue in Detroit.
A worker told police that Landers’ wife walked into the store to pick up her iPhone after dropping it off for repairs. She got angry that nobody could help her unlock her phone and left the store, employees said.
She returned a moment later with Landers, who threatened workers, according to authorities. He walked out, went to the driver’s side of a silver Chevrolet Equinox, grabbed a handgun, and fired one shot into the air, the criminal complaint says.
Landers walked to the back of the SUV and fired three more shots before driving away with his wife, officials said.
Officers found three shell casings in the parking lot and placed them in evidence.
Landers had threatened to return to the store when it closed at 8 p.m., so police monitored from the outside the rest of the night.
Police called to Landers’ home
On March 8, 2023, Detroit police were called to Landers’ home on Concord Street in Detroit. It’s about a half-mile from the Boost Mobile store.
His wife had called authorities and asked them to remove Landers from the home after an argument.
When officers arrived, Landers’ wife and her sister were sitting in the Equinox. The sister went into the home to try to convince Landers to come out and speak with police.
Officers said they were waiting by the front door when they found a 9 mm shell casing on the porch steps. It was collected and placed in evidence.
Landers’ wife ultimately changed her mind about trying to have him removed. She said she would stay at a hotel with her sister for the night.
Landers’ wife said no assault took place during the argument. She said they did not own guns.
Police later discovered that the shell casing from the porch steps matched those found outside the Boost Mobile store in August 2022. Experts said the casings were likely fired from the same gun.
Shell casing found near crash scene
Detroit police were called March 13 to a crash scene at the intersection of 7 Mile Road and Sherwood Street. When officers arrived, the occupants of a white 2022 Ford Expedition fired shots at them, according to authorities.
Police returned fire, striking one person (not Landers). That person was taken into custody, officials said.
Several shell casings were found at the scene. Some were inside the Expedition, others had been fired by police, and one 9 mm casing was significantly farther from the intersection than the rest, the criminal complaint says.
Police said it’s unclear if the 9 mm shell casing was related to the crash or the shootout. It was about 230 feet east of the intersection.
Two .40-caliber shell casings were found inside the Expedition, and 13 9 mm Hornady shell casings were found between 1 foot and 69 feet away from the intersection, authorities said.
Later, officials learned the 9 mm shell casing had likely been fired from the same gun as the shell casings at the Boost Mobile store.
Landers’ house is about one-tenth of a mile from the intersection of 7 Mile Road and Sherwood Street, according to authorities.
Landers admits to firing 1 shot
ShotSpotter, a system that detects gunfire, alerted Detroit police to a possible shooting on April 9 in the 12800 block of East 7 Mile Road.
Video footage at the scene suggested Landers had fired a shot into the air to stop an argument, officials said. When he spoke with police, he admitted to firing one shot.
Landers told authorities that he had given the gun to his wife, who left the scene before they arrived, the complaint says.
The shooting scene was 2.4 miles from Landers’ home.
Police found a gold 9 mm shell casing. It matched the shell casings from the Boost Mobile store and the two other scenes, officials said.
13 shots fired in Detroit
Detroit police were called April 20 to the 21300 block of Pembroke Avenue for reports of a domestic confrontation that led to gunfire.
Officers found 13 shell casings at the scene. Experts believe they had been fired from the same gun as the casings found at the other four scenes.
A witness told police that two men ran away from the scene and fled in a silver Chevrolet Equinox.
4 guns found at home
ATF agents and Detroit police officers went to Landers’ home on Friday, April 21, to search the house and the Equinox.
After searching the Equinox, authorities knocked on the door and spoke to Landers. He, his wife, and two elementary school-aged children were inside the home.
Agents found a Glock 43 pistol inside the dining room microwave, they said. It was loaded with six 9 mm rounds.
Officials said they found three guns inside the basement dryer:
- A Titan Tiger Revolver .38 special loaded with three spent casings and three live rounds of .38 special caliber ammo.
- A Bersa Thunder 380 CC pistol loaded with six rounds of .380-caliber ammo.
- An unloaded Sig Sauer p229 Elite 9 mm pistol.
None of the firearms had been registered in Michigan.
Police interview Landers
Landers agreed to speak with authorities and admitted to possessing the three guns that were in the basement dryer, according to the criminal complaint.
He said he had been holding onto the Sig Sauer for his brother for about a year and admitted to firing it into the air outside the Boost Mobile store, shooting once to break up an argument along 7 Mile Road, and firing shots outside his home after an argument with his wife.
Landers told police that he had previous felony convictions that made it illegal for him to have a gun.
A review of court records show he has been convicted of seven felony charges, including two that resulted in four-year prison sentences.
The criminal complaint concludes there’s probable cause that Landers knowingly possessed a gun despite having been convicted of a felony.