In the early morning hours of September 21, 2022, Nadine Davis-Russell, a 61-year-old woman, was fatally shot in the head in her apartment on Park Hill Avenue in Staten Island, New York. Police responded to the scene just before 6 a.m. to find her. A 43-year-old male friend who was with her at the time was also shot in the shoulder but survived.
The surviving victim informed investigators that the shooting was drug-related.
It remains unclear if Davis-Russell was involved or an innocent bystander. Her youngest son played a pivotal role in the investigation by providing access to his mother's Ring doorbell camera footage. He recognized the man who had rung the doorbell shortly before the shooting. The night before the incident, his mother had called him for assistance with a Cash App transaction with the same man.
This critical piece of evidence led to the arrest of 45-year-old Shaeem Chavis, who lived a few blocks from Davis-Russell's home. Chavis, who was on lifetime parole after serving nearly 26 years for a prior murder, was apprehended at his parole office. At the time of his arrest, he was reportedly in possession of crack cocaine. Chavis was subsequently charged with murder, assault, and weapon possession in connection with the death of Nadine Davis-Russell.
