The death of neurosurgeon Dr. Devon Alan Hoover has left the Detroit, Michigan, community in shock.
On April 23, he was found shot multiple times in the head. He was then wrapped in a blanket and placed in an attic crawl space at his Boston Edison neighborhood home.
On Friday, April 28, Detroit Police Chief James White announced that police had taken a person of interest in the case into custody on an unrelated warrant.
Chief White did not provide any further specifics due to not wanting to jeopardize the prosecutors’ murder case. But White indicated that investigators are certain that the unidentified person of interest “knows something about what occurred” and that Dr. Hoover was killed by someone he knew.
Dr. Hoover was highly respected among his peers, having been nominated as one of the best in his field in Hour Detroit magazine’s 2008 “Top Docs” rankings.
The Indiana-born neurosurgeon was board certified and specialized in treating neck and back disorders. His medical training was completed at Indiana University School of Medicine. He completed residencies at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and fellowships in peripheral nerve surgery at Louisiana State University School of Medicine and pediatric neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital of Michigan.
Dr. Hoover was one of seven siblings, the fourth born to his family affectionately nicknamed “the three little ones.” He worked on the family dairy farm until he went to college.
The investigation into Dr. Hoover’s death is ongoing, but Detroit police are encouraged by the promising leads acquired from the person of interest in custody. Community members, family, and friends pray for justice for the valued neurosurgeon and his loved ones.