On the evening of August 27, 2017, Deshawn Dawkins, a 27-year-old male, was found shot in the first block of South Virginia Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The incident, which occurred at approximately 9:15 p.m., was the result of a robbery that turned fatal.
In the months following the shooting, an investigation led to charges against two Atlantic City men, Ba'shawn Whitted-Scott, 25, and Brian S. Richardson, 26.
In December 2017, the Atlantic County Prosecutor announced that both men were charged with felony murder, robbery while armed resulting in death, conspiracy to commit robbery, and weapons offenses. The charge of felony murder suggests that the death occurred during the commission of another serious crime, in this case, the armed robbery of Dawkins.
At the time the charges were announced, Whitted-Scott was already incarcerated at the Atlantic County Justice Facility on separate charges related to a series of home invasions. Richardson, however, remained a fugitive from justice. By March 2018, an Atlantic County grand jury returned an indictment against both Whitted-Scott and Richardson for their roles in Dawkins' death. While Whitted-Scott was in custody, authorities continued to seek information on the whereabouts of Brian S. Richardson. Richardson was additionally indicted for possession of a handgun by a convicted person.
