In the early morning hours of March 18, 2018, the life of 28-year-old Sheddrick Dixon was cut short in a hail of gunfire in Lexington, Kentucky. The incident unfolded around 5:15 a.m. in the area of Trent Boulevard and Trent Circle, where police were called for a report of shots fired that had struck a residence and several vehicles. Not long after, Dixon arrived at St. Joseph East Hospital with a gunshot wound.
Despite medical efforts, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 6:06 a.m.
Investigators quickly determined that Dixon's death was a homicide and that he was likely intentionally targeted. His death marked the city's seventh homicide of 2018, all of which were the result of gun violence. The investigation into the shooting suggested a shootout had occurred. Evidence collected at the scene included numerous 9mm and. 40-caliber shell casings. An autopsy later recovered a specific type of 9mm bullet from Dixon's body.
Less than a month after the fatal shooting, on April 5, 2018, Lexington police arrested 24-year-old Steven L. Young and charged him with murder in connection with Sheddrick Dixon's death. Detectives testified that Dixon and Young had been in telephone contact before the shooting. It was revealed that the gunfight began with shots fired from the area where Young and another unidentified individual were located, and Dixon had fired back. Witnesses identified Young at the scene, and the ammunition that killed Dixon matched a specific type of bullet Young had purchased earlier that month. Young was held in the Fayette County jail and a judge, citing concerns for public safety and the escalating number of homicides in the city, refused to set bond. His case was then sent to a grand jury for consideration of an indictment.
