Christopher Best in 2009

DETROIT, MI — Christopher J. Best, an accomplished 61-year-old musician and foster parent from Redford,

on the sidewalk of Avery near Lysander in Detroit's Woodbridge Historic District on the evening of Jan. 21.

Pete Forsythe, a 30-year-reisdent of the neighborhood located near Wayne State University in Detroit's Midtown, says he's on a mission to find the killer.

"I'm really pissed," he said. "My wife was having a yoga class three houses away.

"This guy is standing outside... spraying" the house with bullets. All he had to do was flick his wrist and he's shooting bullets up into the house where my wife is doing various yoga poses."

Forsythe's hope is that case doesn't slip into the void with hundreds if not thousands of other unsolved Detroit murders.

"I think we're pretty much tapped out as far as the information we got from Woodbridge," Forsythe said. "I don’t think whoever did it was from around here."

Police say the killing is the result of a robbery. Best came to the neighborhood to pay long-time friend and contractor Chris O'Brien, 48, $1,000 for work O'Brien completed at Best's Rredford home after a tree fell on it.

Before he got to the front door, an unidentified gunman opened fire.

Police say the suspect fired a "long gun" and fled in an SUV. Forsythe says information he's gathered indicates it was an AK-47, and the suspect left in a dark-colored Jeep.

He's intrigued by new information released by Detroit police via CrimeStoppers on April 1.



The release included a composite sketch and detailed description of the suspect — a black male, about 23 to 24 years of age, 5-feet, 6-inches-tall with a medium build, dark complexion, scars on both sides of his face, who was wearing a hoodie and had "five-o'clock shadow" at the time of the shooting.

Forsythe has been working closely with Shirley Schuler of CrimeStoppers, spoken with the director of the foster agency Best worked with and interviewed friends and neighbors.

O'Brien and Forsythe spoke about the killing of Chis Best at a Detroit Police Commission meeting held near the Woodbridge neighborhood several weeks ago, so they would know that "we give a damn," Forsythe said.

"Chris Best was no physical threat, so why would he kill him" if it was a mugging? said Forsythe, who said there's another possible theory.

Chris Best in the past worked as an IT contractor for a foster agency and later became involved as a licensed foster parent.

"I guess he got involved with some of the kids and one of the kids was a bad apple," said Forsythe. "The relationship went south and there's a thought that there might be some revenge involved."

MLive left messages with the foster agency and Detroit police investigator seeking comment.

"She's generally put herself out of reach and she's not very forthcoming about what they have," said Forsythe, referring to the Detroit detective overseeing the case, "which is totally understandable since they're trying to build a tight case."

Schuler doesn't know when police obtained the suspect description or composite.

She said it could be because a witness didn't come forward right away or another reason that the description wasn't released for nearly two and a half months.

"That's all they really gave us," said Schuler. "They said that's all they had at this time."

Schuler said anyone may donate to and increase the reward, currently paying up to $2,500 for an arrest and conviction. In some cases, she's said, communities have donated reward money in excess of $100,000.

A flyer has been produced and Schuler intends to meet with the "active" Woodbridge neighborhood association to canvass the neighborhood as well as other locations that may generate tips, such as around Best's Redford home.

Forsythe's wish is that police would open up their investigation as much as possible without jeopardizing the case so that the community can contribute to solving the crime.

"It seems like there is a whole body of information we are not privy to," he said. "If they are serious that they want CrimeStoppers to come in, then they for crying out loud they need to share some information."

Anyone with information may contact CrimeStoppers anonymously at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.