In the quiet early morning hours of a Thursday in Pemberton Township, New Jersey, the life of 18-year-old Davon Coleman was tragically cut short. On July 28, 2016, the promising young man, a former standout wrestler at Pemberton Township High School, was fatally shot in the chest. The incident unfolded just before 1 a.m. in a detached garage on Bayberry Street, a familiar hangout spot for a group of friends. Coleman was rushed to Deborah Hospital, but his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Initially, the narrative presented to law enforcement was one of a violent home invasion. It was claimed that three masked intruders had entered the garage, shot Coleman, and then fled into the night. This account, however, began to unravel as investigators from the Pemberton Township Police Department and the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office delved deeper into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Their investigation led them to a handgun hidden within the garage, which was determined to be the weapon used in Coleman's death.
The focus of the investigation soon shifted to someone who was not a stranger, but a friend and former wrestling teammate of Davon's. Nelven Salas, also 18 years old at the time, was identified as the individual responsible for the shooting. Authorities charged Salas with aggravated manslaughter, possession of a handgun without a permit, and hindering apprehension for his role in the death of his friend and the subsequent misleading report to the police. The arrest of Salas painted a starkly different picture from the initial story of a random act of violence, revealing a more personal and heartbreaking tragedy. Salas was subsequently lodged in the Burlington County Jail. An autopsy confirmed that Davon Coleman's death was a homicide caused by a gunshot wound to the chest.
