Man, 54, found shot to death behind his Detroit house

DETROIT - A 54-year-old man was found shot and killed behind his west side Detroit house in the middle of the day.

After 30 years together, three kids, and six grandchildren, Deborah Williamson can't believe her boyfriend, Michael Sanders is gone.

"I'm just trying to calm myself down," she said. "We were having a good time; we would always have a good time."

Sanders was found dead Sunday behind his house on Holden near Trumbull. Neighbors heard multiple shots fired at about 2 p.m. One bullet hit his house, shared his multi-family residence.

"I saw a pair of feet, I got closer and recognized, that's our neighbor," said Daniel Dillard.

Dillard was inside during the shooting, and one of the first to find the body.

"I went to him, checked for a pulse, but it was over," Dillard said. "He was gone."

Family members say Sanders taught his children to stay away from crime, admitting he came from a rough past. But they don't know for sure what he did, went they weren't around.

"I really don't know what happened," Williamson said, adding she can't imagine why anyone would want her boyfriend dead. "I just hope whoever did that they catch them."

If you have any information on who killed Michael sanders, you're asked to call Detroit police (313) 596-5300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.