A Michigan man faces decades in prison for the tragic murder of a DoorDash driver, a fatal incident sparked by road rage during a delivery of White Castle. This week, Terrell Simms, aged 39, received a sentence ranging from 37 and a half to 80 years for the killing of 26-year-old Mamadou Diallo. The case, reported by Detroit’s NBC affiliate WDIV, saw Simms convicted in October on several charges, including second-degree murder, carrying a concealed weapon, and possessing a firearm as a felon.

The heartbreaking sequence of events unfolded in the early hours of March 9, 2025. Diallo, fulfilling his duties as a DoorDash driver, had just collected a White Castle order from the Woodward Avenue location in Ferndale, a suburb of Detroit. After leaving the restaurant, he merged northbound onto Woodward Avenue, subsequently taking a route that led him southwards.

According to the Ferndale Police Department, as Diallo joined the southbound lanes of Woodward Avenue, a GMC truck reportedly driven by Simms sped recklessly and nearly collided with Diallo’s vehicle. The truck then made a sudden lane change. Nearing Eight Mile Road, the truck driver slowed down deliberately, seemingly waiting for Diallo to catch up with him.

Authorities assert that it was at this point Simms fired six shots at Diallo’s Ford Escape, culminating in the senseless loss of a young life. The community continues to grapple with the aftermath of this violent episode, which underscores the perilous consequences of road rage.

Authorities believe that Simms then fired six shots at Diallo’s Ford Escape.

At about 1:45 a.m., police received a call about shots being fired at the intersection. Minutes later, “a second caller reported an individual lying outside a Ford Escape on the southbound Woodward Avenue bridge over 8 Mile.” Officers responded to find Diallo with a gunshot wound to his torso.

He was brought to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Simms was identified as a suspect, and he was arrested about a month later. It is not clear whether Simms was the one driving the GMC truck, though police did mention that three suspects were initially arrested, with two of them being released.

“This was a senseless act of violence that took the life of an innocent man who was simply working to make ends meet,” said Ferndale Police Chief Dennis Emmi when announcing Simms’ arrest. “We extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Diallo’s family.”

According to WDIV, the fatal shooting occurred one day before Diallo’s 27th birthday. It was also reportedly Ferndale’s first murder since 2016.

Ferndale is located just north of Detroit.