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Dwayne McDonald

Age : 62

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 12/28/2021

Location : 35 Owen Street

City : Detroit

County : Wayne

State : Michigan

Agency : Detroit Police Department

Officer(s) :Unknown

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police after homicides

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 12/28/2021, Detroit Police Department officers shot and killed Dwayne McDonald, 62, at an apartment on Owen Street near Woodward Avenue in Detroit. Police had been searching for McDonald in connection with the Christmas Day shooting deaths of his wife, Elaine Fizer, 57, and her 13-year-old adopted daughter, Daunya. Multiple contemporary sources identify him as Dwayne McDonald; one early report spells his first name “Dwane,” but that appears to be a reporting error.
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The underlying investigation began after Fizer and Daunya were found shot to death at their home in the 18000 block of Prevost Street on 12/25/2021. McDonald initially was publicly described by Detroit police as a person of interest rather than conclusively identified as responsible. Police Chief James White said at that stage that investigators did not know whether McDonald was a suspect or potentially another victim and wanted to locate him to determine what had happened.
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By December 28, investigators had obtained information indicating McDonald was inside an apartment near Owen Street and Woodward Avenue. Police conducted surveillance, confirmed his location and obtained or executed a search warrant at the apartment. Two other people were reportedly inside. Police said one of them had provided information instrumental in locating McDonald.
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Police entered after announcing themselves. According to Chief White, McDonald was armed when officers encountered him. A gunshot was fired and police opened fire, killing McDonald. Importantly, White initially said investigators had not yet established who fired the first shot or whether McDonald actually fired at police. Later news accounts characterized McDonald as having fired at officers, but the chief’s contemporaneous statement was more cautious and did not establish that as fact.
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McDonald was pronounced dead at the scene. Police recovered a gun during the encounter. The available reporting does not identify the individual Detroit officers who fired or establish how many officers discharged their weapons.
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The circumstances are particularly relevant because early police statements evolved considerably over several days. On December 25 and 26, McDonald was publicly described as a person of interest whose status as either a suspect or possible victim remained unresolved. By December 28, police described him as wanted in connection with the killings, and subsequent reporting described him as the alleged killer. The earlier statements should therefore be preserved rather than retroactively presenting the murder allegation as an established fact before McDonald was killed.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Detroit Police Department officers who shot Dwayne McDonald have not been publicly identified in the sources located for this case.
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The department itself had a significant documented pattern of fatal police shootings surrounding McDonald’s death. A later memorandum prepared by the Coalition for Police Transparency and Accountability and submitted in support of federal intervention catalogued several Detroit police killings during 2021, including the deaths of Michael Contrell Adams, Nakita Williams and McDonald, and raised broader concerns about the investigation and oversight of fatal police force in Detroit.
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SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/suspect-down-after-shooting-by-detroit-police-officer-on-citys-east-side
https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/man-wanted-in-double-fatal-shooting-on-christmas-day-shot-killed-by-detroit-police/
https://www.wxyz.com/news/detroit-police-to-provide-update-on-christmas-day-double-homicide
https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/man-accused-of-killing-wife-teen-shot-dead-by-police/
https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/detroit-police-searching-for-person-of-interest-after-woman-13-year-old-found-dead-on-christmas/
https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/mother-and-daughter-fatally-shot-on-christmas-day-police-searching-for-husband-as-person-of-interest
https://www.aclumich.org/app/uploads/2024/02/police_shootings_in_detroit_-_cpta_memo_to_doj.pdf