In the early morning hours of September 28, 2016, the quiet of a Coatesville, Pennsylvania, apartment building was shattered by the sound of gunshots. Inside a unit at 577 East Lincoln Highway, a grim scene awaited law enforcement. Responding to a report of shots fired at approximately 3:22 a.m., police discovered the body of 56-year-old David Wayne Fitzsimmons. He had been fatally shot.
Fitzsimmons, a White male, was not the only victim of the violence that night.
Another man, 46-year-old William Chance, was found in the same apartment with a gunshot wound. Chance was rushed to Paoli Hospital, but his injuries proved to be too severe, and he was later pronounced dead. The apartment where the two men were found contained evidence of illegal activity, as police reported discovering drugs and drug paraphernalia at the scene.
The double homicide rocked the community and prompted an immediate investigation by the Coatesville Police Department and Chester County Detectives. In an effort to generate leads, authorities publicly appealed for information from anyone who might have witnessed suspicious activity or possessed knowledge about the killings. A reward was later offered by the Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers and the Chester County District Attorney's office for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the deaths of Fitzsimmons and Chance.
Despite the public appeals and the ongoing investigation, the case has grown cold over the years. No suspects have been publicly identified, and no arrests have been announced in connection with the murders of David Fitzsimmons and William Chance. The circumstances surrounding their deaths, and who was responsible, remain an unsolved mystery, leaving their families and the community without answers or a sense of justice for the lives that were taken that September morning.
