On the first day of the new year, January 1, 2025, the life of 19-year-old Andrew Kareem Giles Jr. was tragically cut short in Chesterfield County, Virginia. A Black male from Henrico County, he was known affectionately as 'AJ' or 'Angel Bear' to his loved ones.
Just before 1 a.m., Chesterfield County police responded to a report of a single-vehicle crash in the 14900 block of Broadwater Way. Upon arrival, they discovered a car that had crashed into a residence.
Inside the vehicle, they found Andrew Giles, who had sustained fatal gunshot wounds and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The investigation into the homicide quickly led detectives to identify 20-year-old Nekyi Cherry of Richmond as a suspect. On the evening of January 2, Cherry was apprehended in Henrico County with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service Capital Area Fugitive Task Force. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and shooting in a public place and is being held at the Chesterfield County Jail without bond.
As the investigation continued, authorities identified a second suspect, a 14-year-old male at the time of the incident. In August, juvenile petitions were issued for the now 15-year-old for first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, shooting into an occupied vehicle, and possession of a handgun by a juvenile. He was arrested on August 19 and taken to the Chesterfield County Juvenile Detention home. That same month, Nekyi Cherry was indicted on additional charges related to the homicide. The police investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.
