A man was charged with the fatal shooting of another man in Pontiac, Michigan, claimed to have been instigated by an argument about spitting in a sink. The Oakland County Sheriff's Office identifies the perpetrator as 22-year-old Sadarie Deshawn Donalson, who allegedly shot 33-year-old Cornelius James Jones on February 21 in Jones' apartment. The Detroit News reports the altercation began after Jones confronted Donalson over the disrespect he felt when Donalson spat in the sink.
After being asked to leave, Donalson reportedly used a firearm to shoot Jones multiple times, resulting in injuries that led to Jones' death at a local hospital. According to The Oakland Press, witnesses informed deputies that the dispute escalated when Donalson and his alleged accomplice Dewaun Demarco Benion, 22, were asked to vacate the premises. The incident took place around 9:30 p.m. on Carriage Circle Drive.
Both suspects attempted to flee the scene of the crime, with Donalson engaging in a lengthy foot chase with deputies before being apprehended. Benion was quickly found and arrested with the assistance of a drone and K-9 units. Sheriff Michael Bouchard condemned the violence over what he considered a trivial matter. "It is unfathomable that a human life would be taken for something so absurdly trivial as a person spitting in a sink," Bouchard said, in a statement obtained by The Detroit News.
Currently, Donalson faces charges of second-degree murder, possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, carrying a concealed weapon, and resisting officers. His accomplice, Benion, has been charged with solicitation-assault with intent to cause great bodily harm less than murder. Donalson is being held without bond, while Benion's bond is set at $75,000. They are both scheduled to appear in the 50th District Court in Pontiac for a probable cause conference on March 7. The two were last tracked down by police as they ran towards the shadows, with a shotgun discarded during the chase which was eventually found tucked inside a boot which Donalson wore before losing during the pursuit, according to a coverage by hoodline.
