Assyrian businessman shot dead in Michigan

Batoo was shot dead on 7 November inside his car dealership business in Shelby Township, Michigan together with a customer.

Investigators say the dispute began when the suspect, Terrance Jermaine Sandles of Houston, purchased a car that he later returned, alleging it was defective and threatening Marvan Batoo. Authorities believe the argument escalated three weeks later, culminating in Sandles entering the business on 7 November and fatally shooting Batoo and another man at point-blank range. Surveillance footage and shell casings recovered at the scene corroborate this account. Shelby Township Police Chief Robert Shelide emphasised that the killings were not a “hit” or random robbery: “He didn’t go in to rob… he went in to kill that man.”

Sandles was tracked to a hotel in Romulus, Michigan, near Detroit Metro Airport, and arrested early the following day. Police say they recovered weapons, cash allegedly stolen from the dealership, and other incriminating evidence in his hotel room and vehicle.

Batoo’s death has deeply affected the local Assyrian community in Michigan of which many belong to the Chaldean Catholic Church. Batoo was married and father of three children, two daughters and one son, age 5 and under. His brother-in-law, speaking to a local reporter, called the children “little angels.”