Van Buren Township Man Charged in Fatal Shooting of Girlfriend
Published on September 21, 2026
Prosecutor Kym Worthy has charged Damarco Darnell Manns, 31, of Van Buren Township, in connection with the fatal shooting of Frances Beatty, 28, also of Van Buren Township. The defendant and the victim were residing together at the time of the incident.
On September 17, 2026, at approximately 9:08 p.m., Van Buren Township police officers were dispatched to an apartment located in the 48500 block of the I-94 service drive for a reported shooting. Upon their arrival, officers located the victim lying in the hallway of the apartment building suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. Medics arrived on the scene and transported the victim to a local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased.
It is alleged that an altercation between the defendant and the victim escalated, and Defendant Manns fired a handgun, fatally wounding Ms. Beatty.
Damarco Darnell Manns has been charged with one count of Second-Degree Murder, one count of Discharge of a Firearm in or at a Building – Causing Death, and two counts of Felony Firearm. *
He was arraigned and remanded to jail this morning in 34th District Court before Judge Lisa Martin. The Probable Cause Conference is scheduled for September 29, 2026, at 8:30 a.m., before Judge Teresa Patton, and the Preliminary Examination is scheduled for October 6, 2026, at 11:30 a.m., before Judge Lisa Martin. Please request a photograph of the defendant from the Van Buren Township Police Department.
*The charges are allegations and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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