Dimitri Alec Kyle Coleman, also identified in some listings as Dimitri Cole, was a 29-year-old Black / African American male from Charleston, West Virginia, whose life was taken in the early morning hours of May 25, 2024. What had been a Memorial Day weekend gathering on Charleston's West Side turned violent near a bar and restaurant in the 400 block of Railroad Avenue. Police were called to the area around 3:30 a.m.
after gunfire broke out, and when emergency responders arrived, Coleman had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Despite the response from authorities and medical personnel, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The shooting was described as sudden and direct. Accounts from police and family said Coleman had been at the restaurant and grill when someone came up to him, grabbed him by the neck or throat, and shot him multiple times. His mother later said the gunman walked up from behind and fired four shots before fleeing. Investigators indicated that Coleman was struck in a way that suggested a targeted confrontation rather than random gunfire into a crowd. Charleston police noted that only Coleman was hit, even though there were many people around the business at the time.
After the shooting, the suspect ran from the scene on foot, reportedly heading into an alley in the direction of Watts Street. Police described the suspected shooter as an older Black man wearing dark clothing, including a black jacket or black shirt and black pants. Authorities said people at the grill fired toward the fleeing suspect as he ran away, but he escaped. Investigators continued searching for him and asked the public for information, emphasizing that the case depended heavily on witnesses who may have seen the attack or knew the person responsible.
Coleman's mother, Alvernita Coleman, made an emotional public plea in the days after the killing. She said there had been little cooperation from the large number of people who were at or near the restaurant when her son was killed. She believed someone knew who shot him and urged them to find the courage to come forward. She described Dimitri as fun-loving, respectful, playful, and comical, someone whose smile stood out, while also acknowledging that he was not perfect. She said she did not know of any enemies who would have wanted him dead, which left the family struggling with unanswered questions.
No arrest was reported in the publicly available coverage following the shooting. No suspect had been publicly named, and no charges, trial, or conviction were reported in connection with Coleman's death. The investigation remained focused on identifying the man seen fleeing the Railroad Avenue scene, and police continued to ask anyone with information to contact Charleston investigators. For Coleman's family, the case remained not only a homicide investigation, but a search for accountability after a young father, son, brother, and friend was killed in front of others during what should have been an ordinary early-morning gathering.
