Derious “DJ” Maurice Johnson, a 39-year-old Black man, was killed in an early-morning shooting in Huntington, West Virginia, on February 20, 2026, in an attack that also claimed the life of his brother, Adrian Phillips, and wounded another person. Johnson was widely known in Huntington as a youth basketball coach and mentor, particularly through his work at St. Joseph Catholic School.
His death came shortly after his middle-school team completed an undefeated season and won the Cabell County championship. His obituary described a coaching career that began in 2014 and included work with YMCA teams, CTA, Southside Elementary, Team Mayo, St. Joe and his own program, Team Ballin.
The violence unfolded at about 2:30 a.m. in a parking lot in the 300 block of 14th Street, an area only a short distance from Marshall University. Authorities said a verbal altercation occurred between Kevante Jaimere White and a group of men before gunfire erupted. Three people were shot. Johnson and Phillips suffered fatal wounds, while a third victim survived. Johnson was taken to Cabell Huntington Hospital, where he died from his injuries. Court records later identified the surviving shooting victim as Taerin Young. Investigators initially released few details about what sparked the confrontation, and police did not announce a specific motive.
The shooting devastated a family because Johnson and Phillips were brothers, but the loss also reached deeply into two different parts of the Huntington community. Johnson had become a familiar presence through basketball, where he was remembered not simply as a coach but as someone who pushed young players toward discipline, confidence and accountability. Phillips worked for Huntington’s Public Works Department in the Street Division and had been employed by the city since 2023. St. Joseph Catholic School brought in chaplains, grief counselors and mental-health professionals for students and staff after Johnson’s death, while city officials mourned Phillips and described the double killing as a tragedy that had shaken Huntington. In the weeks afterward, a basketball camp was organized in Johnson’s memory, with proceeds intended to support his family.
The investigation moved quickly toward Kevante White of Akron, Ohio. Huntington police said detectives obtained arrest warrants on February 21, the day after the killings, accusing White of fatally shooting Johnson and Phillips and wounding the third victim. Authorities determined that White had left West Virginia and traveled back toward Ohio, prompting Huntington investigators to request assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force began searching for him in the Akron area and eventually traced him to an address in the 4600 block of Grandview Avenue NW in the Canton area. White was arrested there without incident on February 22.
White was wanted on two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Johnson and Phillips and an additional malicious-wounding or malicious-assault charge stemming from the shooting of the surviving victim. Federal authorities also disclosed that White was already under supervision by the Ohio Adult Parole Authority when the Huntington shooting occurred. His prior offenses involved aggravated robbery and felonious assault in Summit County, Ohio, and the U.S. Marshals Service reported that he had been released from prison in November 2025 after serving a 10-year sentence. Those circumstances meant that, in addition to the homicide prosecution in West Virginia, White faced consequences connected to an alleged Ohio parole violation.
After his capture, White was initially held in the Stark County jail in Ohio as a fugitive from justice. On February 27, he appeared in Stark County court and waived extradition, clearing the way for authorities to return him to West Virginia. By March 3, records showed that he had been extradited to Cabell County and was being held at the Western Regional Jail while awaiting proceedings on the two murder charges and the charge involving the surviving victim.
White returned to court on March 24 in connection with the separate Ohio parole matter. During that hearing, he signed a waiver indicating that he was willing to return to Ohio to address the alleged parole violation. However, the court indicated that the West Virginia murder prosecution had to be dealt with before he could be sent back to Ohio for that proceeding. The publicly available reporting located on the case does not document a completed trial, guilty plea or conviction in Johnson’s killing; the latest reported court status leaves White facing the homicide and malicious-assault allegations in Cabell County. Those accusations remain charges unless and until they are resolved in court.
Johnson’s death left behind a legacy that extended well beyond the circumstances of the shooting. He was remembered as a father, mentor and demanding but devoted coach who had spent years developing young basketball players throughout Huntington. His funeral was held March 4 at Christ Temple Church, followed by burial at Spring Hill Cemetery. The community response continued after the funeral through memorial events and the basketball camp bearing his name, reflecting how closely his identity had become tied to youth basketball and mentoring in the city. What began as a confrontation in a parking lot in the early hours of February 20 ultimately left two brothers dead, another person wounded, and an Ohio suspect in custody facing two of the most serious criminal charges available under West Virginia law.
