Prentice Smith

Prentice Smith Jr., known affectionately to his family and friends as "EJ," was a 25-year-old man building a life for himself in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan. A 2001 graduate of Murray-Wright High School, he went on to work in the healthcare field as an operating room technician and a massage therapist. On his alumni profile, he described himself as married, someone who worked hard and made it a point to enjoy life. His future, however, was violently stolen on a late Sunday morning in the summer of 2013.

The fatal incident occurred around 11:00 a.m. on June 9, 2013, on the city's west side. Prentice, a young Black man, was sitting in the driver's seat of his distinctive burgundy and tan Chevrolet Tahoe. The vehicle was parked near the intersection of Grandville Avenue and Davison Street, in a residential area close to Schoolcraft and Evergreen Roads. In a sudden, brutal attack, an unknown assailant or assailants opened fire on the vehicle. Prentice was struck by the gunfire and fatally wounded.

There was another person with Prentice in the Tahoe, a 22-year-old man, who was also shot during the assault. Despite his own injuries, the younger man was able to get out of the vehicle and flee to a relative’s house nearby, where he called 911 to report the shooting and plead for help. When Detroit Police Department officers and emergency medical personnel arrived at the scene, they discovered Prentice still inside his truck, unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the location from the gunshot wounds he had sustained.

The Detroit Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation. The shooting took place in broad daylight on a weekend morning, and there was a surviving witness. However, in the immediate aftermath, authorities released very little information regarding a possible motive for the attack or any description of potential suspects. The neighborhood where Prentice was killed is a community of single-family homes on the west side of Detroit, a city that has long grappled with a high rate of violent crime.

In the more than a decade that has passed since Prentice Smith Jr. was murdered, his case has grown cold. There have been no public announcements from law enforcement about any significant leads, persons of interest, or arrests made in connection with his death. The case is not listed as solved, and for his family and friends, the profound loss is compounded by the absence of answers and justice. The identity of the person or people responsible for his death remains a mystery.

Without a resolution to the case, the memory of Prentice "EJ" Smith is carried on by those who knew and loved him. The public details of his life are few, centered on his work and his own words about enjoying the life he was building. His death is a stark reminder of the many unsolved homicides that leave lasting scars on families and communities. As of November 2026, the investigation into the murder of Prentice Smith Jr. remains open but inactive, another unsolved case in the city of Detroit awaiting a break that might finally bring closure.