Dexter Cornelius Mitchell, a 35-year-old Black/African American man from Bluefield, West Virginia, was fatally shot during a violent disturbance at a Bluefield motel in the early morning hours of January 30, 2016. Police said the shooting occurred at approximately 3:00 a.m. outside the Quality Inn. Surveillance footage later obtained by investigators showed that a large fight had broken out shortly before gunfire erupted.
As people in the area began running from the disturbance, Mitchell was shot multiple times in the head. Contemporary news coverage reported that he was pronounced dead at the scene, although his obituary later stated that he died at Bluefield Regional Medical Center surrounded by his family.
The investigation quickly centered on Steven Williams, who was 23 at the time and also lived in Bluefield. Williams reportedly left the motel after the shooting. Rather than remaining at large, however, he went to the Bluefield Police Department later that same day and turned himself in. Police announced that he was being held in connection with Mitchell's death and was facing a murder charge. As the criminal case moved forward, Williams was charged with first-degree murder, with authorities alleging that he had fired the shots that killed Mitchell.
Investigators had more than eyewitness accounts to work with because surveillance cameras at the motel captured the circumstances surrounding the shooting. The footage showed the large confrontation immediately preceding the gunfire and people scattering after the shots began. Later reporting described Mitchell as having been struck multiple times in the head. Although the available reports do not provide a detailed public account of what triggered the fight, what words may have been exchanged, or the specific motive for the shooting, Williams became the person criminally prosecuted for the killing. The online reporting located does not identify another person who was arrested or criminally charged as a co-defendant in Mitchell's death.
The prosecution ultimately resulted in a murder conviction. In November 2017, Williams was sentenced to 40 years in prison for Mitchell's killing. News coverage of the sentencing continued to note that Williams originally had been charged with first-degree murder and had surrendered to police after leaving the scene. A later civil action filed by Mitchell's estate and widow also described Williams as having been convicted of the murder in November 2017. The publicly available reporting located does not clearly identify the precise degree of the final murder conviction or whether the case concluded through a negotiated plea or another form of adjudication, so it would be inaccurate to describe the 40-year sentence as a first-degree-murder sentence without additional court documentation.
The consequences of the shooting extended beyond the criminal prosecution. In January 2018, Mitchell's estate administrator and his widow filed a civil lawsuit in Mercer Circuit Court against Williams, Stafford Hospitality, which operated the hotel, and other unnamed parties. The complaint alleged that Mitchell had been shot by Williams in the hotel's parking area and accused the hotel operator of failing to provide adequate safety and security. The plaintiffs sought more than $1 million in damages, making the lawsuit another chapter in the family's effort to hold those they believed responsible for the circumstances surrounding the killing accountable.
Away from the court proceedings, Mitchell was known to family and friends as "DC." He was born in Bluefield on August 11, 1980, attended Bluefield High School and later attended several colleges, earning numerous certificates. His family remembered someone who enjoyed working out, spending time with his children and nephews, and helping the people around him. He left behind his wife, Shenella Mitchell, children Maranda Lusk, Jhauntea Mitchell and Dexter Mitchell II, stepchildren, parents, siblings and an extended circle of relatives and friends. Funeral services were held on February 6, 2016, at Faith Center Church in Bluefield, followed by burial at Restlawn Memorial Gardens in Bluewell.
