In Lexington, Kentucky, the life of an 18-year-old Black male, Darian Robert Webb, was tragically cut short on March 9, 2022. On that early Wednesday morning, around 5:30 a.m., police responded to a call about an assault with a firearm on Chase Place. Upon arrival, they found Darian suffering from a gunshot wound. He was quickly transported to the hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries shortly after his arrival.
The incident was described by authorities as a domestic situation.
An investigation led to the arrest of 53-year-old Darryl Russell. Russell was taken into custody later the same day and charged with murder and fourth-degree assault. Police stated that the shooting occurred after a physical altercation between Russell and Webb. Darian, a recent graduate of Lafayette High School, had plans to attend Bluegrass Community and Technical College.
In a separate and unrelated case in Lexington, another young man named Darrian Webb also lost his life to gun violence. On the afternoon of October 19, 2019, 18-year-old Darrian Webb was in a car with two other teenagers at the intersection of Winchester Road and Seventh Street. Suddenly, a light-colored SUV pulled up alongside them, and occupants within the SUV opened fire on their vehicle.
The brazen daylight shooting resulted in the deaths of both Darrian Webb and another 18-year-old, Dwayne Slaughter. A third teenager in the car was wounded but survived. The investigation into the double homicide revealed it was an act of retaliation related to derogatory remarks made about a gang. This led to the arrest of four individuals: De'Shaun Armor, John Boulder, Kenneth Jacoby Jackson, and Sevion Mitchell. In August 2022, all four men were sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to amended charges for their roles in the shooting. Armor was sentenced to 20 years, Jackson to 15 years, and Mitchell to 10 years for manslaughter, while Boulder received a seven-year sentence for facilitation to murder.
