On a Friday evening in Danville, Virginia, the life of 21-year-old Patrick Andreas Gunn was tragically cut short. On August 17, 2018, police responded to a call on the 700 block of Paxton Street, where they discovered Gunn's body inside a vehicle parked on the side of the street. An investigation revealed that he had sustained at least one gunshot wound, and his death was subsequently ruled a homicide.
This marked the sixth homicide in the city of Danville that year.
In the days following the discovery, the Danville Police Department announced an arrest in connection with the shooting. A 17-year-old male, Kurtyus Latrell Hairston, was taken into custody and charged with the first-degree murder of Patrick Gunn. Due to his age, his identity was not initially released by law enforcement. Hairston was also implicated in another fatal shooting that occurred just two days prior, resulting in the death of 46-year-old Charlie Junior Williams, who was also found deceased in a car.
Hairston was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony for both homicides. He was held at the W.W. Moore Jr. Juvenile Detention Center in Danville. Authorities filed a request to have Hairston tried as an adult for the serious charges he faced.
