On a tragic Friday afternoon in Charleston, West Virginia, Dontaze Mosley, a 34-year-old Black man, lost his life in a fatal shooting on August 26, 2022. The incident unfolded in the front yard of a residence on Frame Street, shattering the late summer calm.
Earlier that day, a verbal altercation had reportedly erupted between Mosley and another man, Shavan Vondell Collins. The argument escalated tragically when Collins produced a firearm and shot Mosley in the chest.
Emergency services were called to the scene, and Mosley was rushed to a local hospital, but his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead a short time later.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Collins fled the scene on foot, prompting a search by the Charleston Police Department. He was quickly identified as the suspect in Mosley's death. Two days later, Collins turned himself in to the authorities. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting.
Legal proceedings followed, and in December 2022, Shavan Vondell Collins, then 35, pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. However, in a later development, Collins, also known as "Bang," accepted a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. As a result of this plea agreement, the murder charge against him was dropped. In September 2024, Collins was sentenced to five years in prison for the firearms charge.
