On a summer evening that should have been filled with celebration, a promising young life was cut short. Trequan Isaiah Gibson, a 19-year-old Black male from Charleston, West Virginia, was killed on July 4, 2019. The recent high school graduate s journey was just beginning, with aspirations of attending college and building a future for himself. A talented athlete, he had played basketball for both Riverside and South Charleston High Schools, and his former coach remembered him as an insightful
young man with the potential to achieve all the goals he had set for himself.
The night of the incident, police responded to a report of a shooting just after 11 p.m. on Charleston's West Side. Upon arrival at the 1400 block of 2nd Avenue, they discovered Gibson deceased in front of the 2nd Avenue Center. Multiple gunshots had been reported, and numerous shell casings were found at the scene, painting a grim picture of the final moments of his life. The community was left in shock, with many taking to social media to mourn his passing and call for an end to the gun violence that had claimed another young life.
The investigation into Gibson's death continued for months. Eventually, a suspect was identified as Braheem Griffin. After a period of being on the run, Griffin was apprehended in Philadelphia and returned to Kanawha County to face charges. He was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of Trequan Gibson. During a preliminary hearing, two witnesses identified Griffin, and police also obtained surveillance video from a nearby house as evidence. A magistrate found probable cause to send the case to a grand jury, marking a significant step toward seeking justice for Trequan and his grieving family.
