In the late summer of 2016, the life of 24-year-old Dominique Eugene Powell was tragically cut short in a series of events that began with a violent robbery and ended in a fatal, retaliatory shooting in Savannah, Georgia. On the evening of September 7, in the Tatemville neighborhood, Powell was the victim of an armed robbery. He defended himself, exchanging gunfire with his assailants, Arthur Newton and another suspect. In the exchange, Powell managed to wound one of the men.
This act of self-defense would ultimately seal his fate.
Following the robbery attempt, Newton was arrested and charged. From within the confines of the Chatham County Detention Center, Newton, a documented member of the Bloods gang, orchestrated a plan for revenge. Just five days after the initial confrontation, on September 12, around 5 p.m., police were called back to the same neighborhood, finding Powell outside a residence on Garey Avenue with a fatal gunshot wound. The investigation revealed that Newton had ordered fellow gang members to execute the killing.
The subsequent investigation by the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department, along with state and federal partners, led to the arrests of four individuals in November 2016, all of whom were members of the Bloods gang. Arthur Newton, then 23, was charged with murder for ordering the hit from jail. Timothy Coleman, Jr., 21, was identified as the gunman who shot and killed Powell after being driven to his house. Artez Strain, 22, and Tyriek Walker, 21, were also charged for their roles in the homicide, with Walker having provided Powell's address to Coleman.
Years later, the case saw resolution in the courts. In December 2022, three of the four men pleaded guilty to their charges. Timothy Coleman, Jr. pleaded guilty to malice murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Tyriek Walker, who aided in the crime, was sentenced to up to 30 years with the possibility of parole. Artez Strain pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Arthur Newton, the man who gave the orders, was later convicted at trial. Both Coleman and Walker received additional jail time for refusing to testify during Newton's trial, bringing a complex and violent chapter to a close.
