Taco Bell Manager Let Homeless Man Stay with Him, Then Cops Say It Turned Deadly
A young restaurant manager in Michigan who had a big heart and was driven for success through hard work is dead after police say he was shot by a homeless man he had invited to stay with him at his apartment.
The story is a tragic reminder that as much as many of us would like to help those around us who are struggling, there is reason to be cautious with people who are living on the streets.
If you’ve driven through any major metropolitan area in recent years, you’ve probably seen the tent cities that are home to dozens if not hundreds of people.
Their lives are objectively tragic, and wanting to help each and every one of them is understandable.
But many of these people are living the way they are because they are mentally unwell, they are drug addicts or they have found themselves ostracized from society for valid reasons.
According to the mother of 27-year-old Olufemi “Louis” Stafford, her son was a person who didn’t like to watch people suffer.
Leola Stafford spoke to The Macomb Daily in suburban Detroit last week after police said a 24-year-old homeless man her son had employed at the Taco Bell he managed shot him to death at his home in Chesterfield Township on July 29.
The report said Stafford had been promoted to a management position after working 60 to 70 hours per week at the restaurant to pay for his apartment.
He gave Dejon Drake, who was living in a tent behind the restaurant, a job and somewhere to stay — his own home, the Daily reported.
However, when Drake allegedly showed signs of aggression both at work and at home, Stafford asked him to leave his apartment, his mother said.
A physical altercation ensued between the two men, and it resulted in Stafford being shot to death and Drake being charged with second-degree murder and felony firearm possession.
According to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, Dejon Drake, of Eastpointe, is charged with second-degree murder, carrying a concealed weapon, and felony firearm. https://t.co/stPFLJ09Zz
— CBS Detroit (@CBSDetroit) August 2, 2023
“He was helping a coworker who was down on his luck,” Leola Stafford told the Daily.
“My son didn’t deserve to die,” the grieving mother said. “He was helping a coworker who was down on his luck. He had a good heart. He was doing a good deed and didn’t have to die for this.
“He offered him love, a roof over his head, a shower and bed to sleep in, and [Drake] turns around and kills him.”
WXYZ-TV in Detroit spoke to Stafford’s cousin Zonni Juan about how Drake ended up in the apartment.
“The guy told him that he was basically living in a tent behind the Taco Bell. Louis said, ‘Hey, you don’t have to be out there. You can come stay with me,'” Juan told the outlet.
She added that even after it was apparent something wasn’t right about the 24-year-old and colleagues wanted him fired, her cousin stood up for him.
Now Stafford is dead, leaving behind a fiancée whose life has been shattered by a man who police say chose to kill the only person who was looking out for him.
As the young man’s mother said, he chose to do a good thing, and it apparently cost him his life.
Stories like this one are reminders that we cannot help everyone we encounter and that sometimes the misery of strangers is out of our hands.
It’s a harsh reality if you’re the kind of person who can’t stand the thought of sitting idly while people around you suffer.
Many Christians feel called to do everything in their power to help those in need.
You can open your heart or even your wallet to strangers in need, but be careful when opening up your home.
According to his family, Stafford went above and beyond by giving a man a job and a bed away from the elements, and his motives were pure and righteous.
But in the end, his acts of kindness cost him everything.
Leola Stafford told WXYZ, “You just cannot let your heart overrule your safety. The world has changed.”
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
