In the predawn hours of August 22, 2018, the life of 28-year-old Shavon Kelly, a Black/African American man from West Springfield, Massachusetts, was tragically cut short. Known to his loved ones as "Tank," Kelly was discovered in a car on Greenleaf Street in Springfield around 2:30 a.m., suffering from fatal gunshot wounds. First responders rushed him to Baystate Medical Center, but his injuries proved too severe, and he was pronounced dead.
The Springfield Police Department's Homicide
Unit, in conjunction with the Hampden District Attorney's Office, immediately launched an investigation into the shooting. In the initial stages of their inquiry, authorities arrested a man named Calvin Roberson in connection with the incident. However, the charges brought against Roberson were for illegal possession of a firearm, resisting arrest, and assault and battery on a police officer, not for the murder of Shavon Kelly.
Despite the early arrest, the investigation into Kelly's death did not lead to a resolution, and as of late 2023, his homicide remains unsolved. The man arrested in the vicinity of the crime, Calvin Roberson, was later revealed to be a serial killer. In April 2023, Roberson pleaded guilty to the murders of three other individuals in Springfield and the kidnapping and murder of a man from Chicopee. These crimes spanned from 2006 to 2020. While Roberson was linked to multiple homicides in the area, Shavon Kelly's case was not among those he was convicted of, leaving the question of who was responsible for his death unanswered. The investigation into Shavon Kelly's murder is officially still open, but no further suspects have been publicly identified.
