29-year-old Shalonna Dowdell had just moved into a house on Detroit's west side and started a new job. Things were going well for her, but one man stole the life that she should've had.
"I just saw her the other day and for somebody to take her life is like -- why would they do that?" said Gabrielle Hearndon.
Dowdell was her cousin, but she was more like a mother.
"She took my sisters in when my mother died. She cared for a lot of people. She [was] even the godmother of my baby, and she [was] just like an awesome person."
She was also a great neighbor. Dowdell and her six-year-old daughter moved into the house just weeks ago.
"Made me feel a bit comfortable around here. I was able to sit on the porch a little bit more and enjoy the weather and the neighborhood," a neighbor told us.
However, that all changed Tuesday night.
"Around here you hear gunshots, but this was close, which I knew it came from next door."
The young mother had been shot. It happened in front of her house, in front of her daughter.
The alleged shooter has been identified as 45-year-old Joe Lloyd, a man who family members say wanted a relationship with Dowdell, and when she said no, began threatening her.
Dowdell's little girl ran to her neighbor's house for help.
"When she came back, she was frantic and just sad."
Wednesday morning, police found Lloyd in a parking lot at 13 Mile and Woodward dead inside his van with a gun and a suicide note confessing to the murder.
"All the females in the world that you could have and you just like kill somebody because they don't want you in front of her baby," Hearndon remarked.
Thursday, May 16 2013 9:04 PM EDT2013-05-17 01:04:18 GMT
13 people were shot in Detroit in just 24 hours, five from one block, including a woman who was just hours away from a kidney transplant. She did not survive.
13 people were shot in Detroit in just 24 hours, five from one block, including a woman who was just hours away from a kidney transplant. She did not survive.
Thursday, May 16 2013 8:23 PM EDT2013-05-17 00:23:43 GMT
54-year-old Almeter Walls was set to have a transplant surgery on Thursday, but instead she is dead. We're told she was shot when a neighborhood argument ended in gunfire. The shooting also left four others wounded.
54-year-old Almeter Walls was set to have a transplant surgery on Thursday, but instead she is dead. We're told she was shot when a neighborhood argument ended in gunfire. The shooting also left four others wounded.
Wednesday, May 15 2013 9:01 PM EDT2013-05-16 01:01:40 GMT
Recess at Academy of the Americas in southwest Detroit is 20 minutes out of the day where all kids have to do is play, and that time is more valuable than you think.
Recess at Academy of the Americas in southwest Detroit is 20 minutes out of the day where all kids have to do is play, and that time is more valuable than you think.
Sunday, May 19 2013 8:54 PM EDT2013-05-20 00:54:31 GMT
Four people were shot and injured Sunday outside a house on Lakepoint in Detroit. The shooter, in a gold truck, is still on the loose.
Four people were shot and injured Sunday outside a house on Lakepoint in Detroit. We're told a group of 10 people were drinking and partying outside the house when a gold truck rolled down the street and started firing.
Sunday, May 19 2013 1:52 PM EDT2013-05-19 17:52:35 GMT
Authorities have identified a 20-year-old man they've arrested in the firebombing of the suburban Detroit home of an heir to the Art Van Furniture business.
Authorities have identified a 20-year-old man they've arrested in the firebombing of the suburban Detroit home of an heir to the Art Van Furniture business.
Let It Rip Weekend: Doggy Insurance, Pit Bull Bans & $15 Minimum Wage
Sunday, May 19 2013 10:33 AM EDT2013-05-19 14:33:58 GMT
This time we're talking about a new requirement in Royal Oak that has some dog owners taking out $1 million insurance policies on their pooches. Plus, Waterford Township is considering repealing their
Should owners of dangerous dogs have to take out $1 million insurance policies? Are pit bull bans a good idea? Plus, should the minimum wage be raised to $15 an hour?
Sunday, May 19 2013 12:01 AM EDT2013-05-19 04:01:16 GMT
It was supposed to be their big night, but prom turned into a big headache for teens from a local high school. Police showed up to crack down on an unauthorized limo service.
It was supposed to be their big night, but prom turned into a big headache for teens from a local high school. Police showed up to crack down on an unauthorized limo service.
Friday, May 17 2013 11:55 PM EDT2013-05-18 03:55:04 GMT
"We intend to build cars in North America for [the] North American market, build cars in Europe for the European market and build them in Asia for the Asian market," said Don Graunstadt.
"We intend to build cars in North America for [the] North American market, build cars in Europe for the European market and build them in Asia for the Asian market," said the CEO of North American Operations for the electric car company.
Friday, May 17 2013 10:19 PM EDT2013-05-18 02:19:58 GMT
It can creep up on you without you realizing it. One day you step on the scale and you're obese. That's what happened to a St. Clair Shores woman who never though she would lose the weight.
It can creep up on you without you realizing it. One day you step on the scale and you're obese. That's what happened to a St. Clair Shores woman who never though she would lose the weight.
Shalonna Dowdell
