A family is grieving, a man is charged with murder, and local Republicans are reeling after a GOP official in a Detroit suburb was fatally shot over the weekend in a tragic dispute.
According to The Detroit News, a neighbor killed 35-year-old Nathan Morris on Saturday in Canton Township. The altercation began when Morris’s daughter touched mulch on the neighbor’s lawn. Morris sent his family home after the neighbor threatened them but stayed behind to try to defuse the situation, which escalated into a fatal confrontation, the outlet reported, citing a GOP statement.
Officers found Morris bleeding when they arrived at the scene at 11:48 a.m., and they took him to a nearby hospital, where he later passed away, according to a Canton Township news release. The neighbor involved in the incident barricaded himself in his home but eventually surrendered, according to the newspaper.
Devereaux Christopher Johnson, 47, has been charged with first-degree murder and charges related to illegally possessing a weapon as a felon, according to another news release.
According to WJBK, Johnson has a criminal record dating back to the 1990s, including charges of criminal sexual conduct. He has been a resident of the neighborhood for 12 years and has had multiple encounters with police, including assaults on officers and neighbors.
Johnson is being held without bond, and a judge has ordered a competency hearing, as reported by WJBK.
The incident, involving a fatal confrontation over a child touching mulch, has garnered national attention due to the seemingly trivial nature of the dispute.
Morris served as the secretary of Michigan’s 6th Congressional District Republican Committee, as reported by the News. This district is represented by Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell.
The local Republican Party issued a statement praising Morris as a “near perfect” individual—describing him as a “patriot” and a “strong Christian.” The statement condemned the shooting as a “senseless act of violence.”
The local GOP noted:
Nathan Morris was a friend, a fellow patriot, a strong Christian, a wonderful husband to Becky, and a great dad to Molly and Zoey. He was an engineer at Ford Motors and got involved in politics when Ford mandated COVID-19 vaccines.
He ran for Canton School board to make schools safe for his daughters. I worked closely with him as the former Chair of the MI-6th CDRC, and as the member of the Wayne 6th CDRC, of which he was the Secretary.
On Saturday, while taking a stroll with his family in his neighborhood, his daughter touched the mulch of of one of the neighbors. The neighbor took a gun out and started threatening the family. Nathan sent his family home and said that he would try and diffuse the situation, but instead was shot and killed.
Nathan is one of those few guys who are near perfect. He would do no harm and think no harm. He is just an amazing and gentle soul. He will be missed dearly. This is a senseless act of violence, and his two young daughters will grow up without a father.
