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UFC light heavyweight Dequan Townsend lost two brothers in a shooting that occurred in Michigan in August.
Last month UFC light heavyweight Dequan Townsend lost two of his brothers to a shooting that occurred at a strip mall in south Lansing, Michigan (per Lansing State Journal).
The shooting happened in a parking lot at around 6:35 p.m. on August 4th. The victims were Steven Lee Jackson, 31, who died on the scene, and Marcus Jackson-Burton, 32, who died later in hospital.
Both men are half brothers of Townsend, who lives in and trains out of Lansing.
Jackson and Jackson-Burton had both previously lived in Lansing, but had since moved to different parts of the U.S. Jackson had been living in Atlanta and Jackson-Burton was in Texas. Both men had recently returned to Michigan for different reasons.
Townsend said that Jackson-Burton had only been back in Lansing for an hour before he was killed. “I didn’t even get a chance to see Marcus,” said Townsend.
Townsend said he and Jackson-Burton were extremely close. “Me and Marcus; you wouldn’t see one without the other. We vacation together, we talk on the phone every day. That’s my best friend.”
Townsend also spoke about his bond with Steven Lee Jackson, who he said he raised along with their sister after their mother passed away. Jackson had moved to Atlanta to pursue a career as a dancer.
“I was always proud of him,” Townsend said. “I supported him moving to Atlanta to follow his dreams and dancing. He was in dance school here and had a bigger opportunity in Atlanta.”
“It’s hard to grieve when I have to be strong for my older brothers and my sister and for my family, to try to keep my head held high,” continued Townsend. “But this hurts, this truly broke my heart.”
Zachary Leigh Diedrichs, 31, has been charged with homicide, assault with intent to murder, possession of a weapon by a felon and other weapons charges. He is being held without bond.
Lansing Police Department are appealing for witnesses to the shooting and ask that anyone with information contact them at 517-483-4600 or call the detective working on the case: 517-483-6869.
Dequan Townsend joined the UFC in 2019 after a regional career that saw him go 21-8. On the regional circuit he earned the Total Warrior Combat light heavyweight title and World Xtreme Cagefighting middleweight title. His most recent Octagon performance was at UFC on ESPN+ 25: Anderson vs. Blachowicz 2 in February. There he lost to Devin Clark by decision.