In the early hours of March 8, 2023, the life of 19-year-old Jesse E. Tidwell of Newport News was tragically cut short in a fatal shooting in Hampton, Virginia. The incident unfolded in the 1500 block of Briarfield Road, where Tidwell and another 19-year-old man from Norfolk were confronted by at least one armed individual. As the two men attempted to flee in their vehicle, shots were fired, striking both of them.
Despite being wounded, they managed to drive to the 1400 block of Aberdeen
Road, where they sought help. When police and emergency personnel arrived, they found Tidwell had succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and was expected to recover. The initial investigation suggested the motive was robbery.
Months after the shooting, the Hampton Police Division made significant progress in the case. On August 21, 2023, authorities arrested 20-year-old Janylen O'Keefe Chapman of Hampton in connection with the homicide. A second suspect, 19-year-old Dasaan Cokley-Williams, also from Hampton, was taken into custody on September 23, 2023, in Newport News.
Both Chapman and Cokley-Williams face a string of serious charges, including first-degree murder, robbery, aggravated malicious wounding, and multiple counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Chapman was also charged with possession of a firearm by a non-violent felon. The arrests brought a measure of hope for justice to the family of Jesse Tidwell and the wider community shaken by the violent act.
