In the early hours of September 18, 2023, the life of 39-year-old Ashford Aaron Carter, a Black/African American male, was tragically cut short in Newport News, Virginia. He was discovered outside the Ivy Towers apartment building on Waterfront Circle, suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound. Emergency services arrived at the scene and transported him to a local hospital, but his injury proved to be fatal.
The investigation into Carter's death quickly led authorities to a
suspect. Quashawn Lamonte Cooper, a 30-year-old resident of Newport News, was arrested in connection with the shooting. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The swift arrest was made possible through a combination of thorough police work, assistance from citizens, and the use of technology.
According to court documents, Cooper claimed that the shooting was an act of self-defense. He alleged that Carter was intoxicated and had refused to leave his apartment. Cooper stated that after his attempts to get Carter to leave were unsuccessful, he retrieved a firearm and shot him in the shoulder. However, surveillance footage from the apartment building reportedly captured Cooper and another individual moving Carter's body out of the apartment after the shooting.
