Prosecutors say a homeowner crossed the line when he fired at a group leaving his detached garage.
WHITE LAKE TOWNSHIP, MI — Security video shown in court this week captured part of a fatal shooting that began with an attempted break-in at a detached garage in White Lake Township, where prosecutors say homeowner Dayton Knapton fired at seven people as they ran away, killing 17-year-old Sivan Wilson and wounding another teen.
The footage surfaced publicly as Knapton, 24, appeared for a preliminary examination on charges that include manslaughter, assault with intent to do great bodily harm and two felony firearm counts. The case has drawn sharp attention in Oakland County because it sits at the center of a hard question: when does a homeowner’s right to defend himself and his property end, and when does gunfire become a crime. Thursday’s hearing added witness testimony, police accounts and video to a case that has been debated since the shooting on July 8, 2025.
Police have said the shooting began shortly after 1 a.m. on July 8, when Knapton got an alert from his home surveillance system showing people inside his detached garage on Mandon Drive. Investigators said seven people had entered the garage. According to prosecutors, Knapton left his house with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and fired two shots through a locked, windowless garage door. Prosecutors say he then fired five more shots as the group fled on foot. In court Thursday, video was played that appeared to show Knapton at the lower edge of the frame firing while at least one person ran away. Officer Mark Kas-Mikha testified that Knapton told police after the shooting that “they came at him.” When a prosecutor asked whether the video appeared to show that, Kas-Mikha answered, “No.”
The people hit by the gunfire were both 17. Police said one teen was taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound, while Wilson was later found with a gunshot wound and died. Early reporting on the night of the shooting said one victim was found on Halfpenny Court and another was taken to DMC Huron Valley Hospital, while FOX 2 reported police were alerted to one wounded teen near Huron Valley Hospital in Commerce Township and another already at the hospital. Prosecutors later said investigators concluded Wilson was struck by one of the bullets fired through the locked garage door and that he was not taken for medical care for about 30 minutes after he fled with the others. Another person was shot in the leg and survived. Police also said the group ranged from teens to young adults, and two arrests were made soon after the shooting, with more suspects identified later.
The broader context was already tense before charges were filed. Neighbors told local TV stations after the shooting that the garage had been targeted before, with some saying it was the third break-in there in about a year. One neighbor, Brandi S., said blood stains could be seen in the street and nearby driveways after the group ran. Another neighbor, Caden Coder, said he heard six shots and first thought they might be fireworks. A witness told FOX 2 he believed the intruders may have been after dirt bikes stored in the garage, and Knapton’s attorney said in court that his client had installed a motion detector because of earlier attempted burglaries. Lt. Matthew Ivory of the White Lake Township Police Department said last summer that what stood out to investigators was “the randomness of it” and that police were still trying to learn why seven people went into the garage in the first place. As of Thursday’s hearing, some details remained unsettled in public reporting, including exactly how the group moved through the property and the role each person played once inside.
The legal case now turns on whether Knapton’s actions fit self-defense or whether prosecutors can show he used unlawful deadly force. Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald announced the charges in November, saying her office had reviewed the evidence and concluded Knapton “crossed the line by firing outside his home at fleeing persons.” McDonald also said his gunfire “potentially endangered the surrounding community by firing his weapon into the night.” Knapton is charged with manslaughter, assault with intent to do great bodily harm and two counts of felony firearm. Prosecutors also charged 21-year-old Matthew Grinage and four juveniles with breaking and entering tied to the attempted burglary that preceded the shooting. Manslaughter carries a possible penalty of up to 15 years in prison under the prosecutor’s announcement. During Thursday’s preliminary examination, three White Lake police witnesses testified in person and a fourth witness on Zoom had to be rescheduled because of technical problems. The next immediate question is whether the district court finds enough evidence to send the case to circuit court for trial.
The courtroom video has given the public its clearest look yet at a case that had already stirred strong feelings in the neighborhood and beyond. Supporters of tougher charges have focused on the fact that Wilson was 17 and that prosecutors say shots were fired as people fled. Others have focused on the repeated break-ins and Knapton’s claim that he was protecting himself. Officer Jessica Snow testified Thursday that Knapton told her one of the suspects was coming toward him and that he fired “to protect himself and his property.” That wording may matter as the case moves forward because Michigan law generally allows deadly force to meet an immediate threat to a person, not simply to protect property. For now, the video has not ended the dispute. It has sharpened it, turning a neighborhood break-in into a closely watched test of how far self-defense claims can reach when the targets are outside, moving away and spread across a dark residential block.
The case remained in district court Thursday after hours of testimony and video evidence. A final public ruling on whether Knapton will be bound over for trial was not immediately clear, and the next milestone is the continuation or completion of the preliminary examination and the judge’s decision on the felony charges.
Author note: Last updated March 6, 2026.