On a Thursday afternoon in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on January 22, 2015, the life of 36-year-old Javon Brown was tragically cut short. A Black / African American male from the nearby town of Dartmouth, Brown was fatally shot in an act of gun violence that marked the city's first homicide of the year. The incident unfolded outside the Metro PCS cell phone store located at the corner of Coggeshall Street and Belleville Avenue. Brown was transported to St.
Luke's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into Brown's death was a collaborative effort between the New Bedford Police Department and the Bristol County District Attorney's Office. In the immediate aftermath, authorities worked to piece together the events that led to the shooting and to identify any potential suspects. Their efforts quickly zeroed in on an individual named Jason Valliere, a 36-year-old resident of New Bedford.
Less than 12 hours after the homicide, investigators had gathered enough evidence to secure an arrest warrant for Valliere. He was initially sought by police and later turned himself in at the New Bedford Police Station late on the Friday following the shooting. At that time, he was charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact. However, as the investigation progressed over the weekend, the charges against him were upgraded to murder.
In the days and months that followed, more details about the case against Valliere emerged. Prosecutors stated that Brown, a manager at the MetroPCS store, was shot twice—once inside the store and once outside in broad daylight. Following the shooting, Valliere was reportedly seen driving his Mercedes Benz back to his home in the South End. Investigators discovered that he had left his own cell phone behind in the store. A search of his apartment revealed the clothes he was allegedly wearing during the shooting, and bloodstains were found on the steering wheel and gear shift of his car. In April 2015, a Bristol County Grand Jury indicted Jason Valliere on charges of murder and unlawful possession of a firearm.
