In the late hours of August 30, 2023, a verbal dispute in Hampton, Virginia, escalated into a tragedy that cut short the life of 26-year-old De’Quan Markel Studwell. Just before 11:30 p.m., Hampton police responded to a shooting complaint in the 100 block of Woodland Road. Upon arrival, they discovered Studwell suffering from gunshot wounds; he was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The preliminary investigation indicated that the shooting stemmed from a verbal argument with the suspect, who fled before officers arrived.
The tragic event unfolded right outside of his mother's home, and she witnessed the horrific moment her son was shot and fell to the ground. His family remembers him as a loving and caring person with a playful nature. He had recently completed a culinary arts program and had aspirations for his future.
The day after the fatal shooting, the Hampton Police Division announced an arrest in connection with the homicide. Jahmee Harris, a 21-year-old Hampton man, was taken into custody. Harris was charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. While the motive and the exact circumstances of the argument that led to the shooting remained under investigation, the arrest brought a swift, albeit partial, sense of closure to a grieving community.
