Pontiac man killed in apparent robbery, suspect in custody

Deputies were on Crystal Lake Drive in Pontiac within minutes of a Saturday afternoon shooting, and the case moved fast from there. Oakland County sheriff’s investigators said Kevonte Javon Smith, 28, of Pontiac, was found lying on a driveway in the 100 block of Crystal Lake Drive about 2:15 p.m. on April 10 with a gunshot wound to the back. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses told detectives the shooter fled immediately after the gunfire, setting off a search that spread through Pontiac and into the neighborhood streets around Spokane Drive. About three hours later, deputies arrested a 36-year-old Pontiac man at a location on Spokane Drive. Investigators said the two men knew each other.

Sheriff Michael Bouchard said detectives recovered the suspected murder weapon and clothing during the investigation, which included a K-9 unit and drones. “It is so sad to see when lives are lost for absolutely no reason,” Bouchard said. The speed of the arrest, along with the recovery of physical evidence, gives prosecutors a stronger case than many street shootings see in their first day, when key details can still be missing.

The suspect had not been officially charged as of Sunday, but investigators said they expected to present the case to prosecutors in the next few days. Police also said the man was on probation for a drug conviction and had previously served prison time for an unarmed robbery conviction in 2016.

The investigation now turns from the street-level search to the courtroom path that follows. In cases like this, the first hours often decide whether detectives can lock in a suspect’s movements, collect clothing and weapon evidence, and preserve witness accounts before they fade. Here, the timeline was especially tight: shooting at midafternoon, an arrest about three hours later, and physical evidence already in hand.

For Oakland County authorities, the challenge now is to turn that early progress into formal charges and a clear reconstruction of what happened on Crystal Lake Drive. The arrest closed the immediate search, but the case remains active as prosecutors review the evidence and decide how to move forward.