Four charged in September killing of Wayne County Sheriff's Office deputy

Detroit — Four men have been charged in connection with the September fatal shooting of an off-duty Wayne County Sheriff's Office deputy, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced Thursday. 

The men were charged on Dec. 22, more than two months after a multijurisdictional investigation in which police served nine search warrants in three states resulted in the arrests of five suspects in connection with the Sept. 20 killing of deputy Devante Jones, 23, of Detroit.

Malikk Cameron Williams, 22, Gregory Freeman, 19, Christion Bernard White, 22, and Kevin Bernard White, 27, all of Detroit, are charged with one count each of first-degree murder and felony firearm. 

Jones was shot several times around 4:12 a.m. in the parking lot of the Diggs housing projects in the 1040 East Forest near Interstate-75 after dropping someone off. Jones fled the vehicle he was in trying to escape the gunfire and was later found and taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital where he died from his injuries. The shooting occurred just hours after his shift at the Wayne County Jail Division 1.

Jones joined the Wayne County Sheriff Department in October 2019. No details on motive or any other information about the shooting were released Thursday.

Worthy's office said more "complete" facts and evidence in the case will be released during the preliminary examinations for the four men.

Williams, Freeman and Kevin White were arraigned and remanded to jail on Dec. 23. Christopher White was later taken into custody and was arraigned Dec. 29 and remanded to jail.

All four men have probable cause conferences scheduled for Thursday before 36th District Judge Kenneth King.

Assistant Prosecutor Maria Miller said prosecutors delayed announcing the charges until after Christopher White was arrested by police.

The search warrants were executed in Macomb County as well as Ohio and Georgia, Detroit police have said.

Jones’ shift at the Wayne County Jail Division 1 had ended six hours before he was killed, Wayne County Sheriff Raphael Washington said. 

“He was a father with a beautiful child, with another child on the way,” Washington said of Jones last year. “I spoke with Deputy Jones’ mother and promised her we would not stop until we got justice. I’m proud to say we’re just about there.”

bwilliams@detroitnews.com

Staff Writer George Hunter contributed.