On the evening of July 22, 2016, 18-year-old Kameron Travis Stanley, a Black male from Williamsburg, Virginia, was fatally shot in York County. The incident occurred on Stewart Drive, where Stanley was standing outside a residence. A green Mercedes carrying three individuals pulled up, and one of the occupants opened fire, striking Stanley multiple times. He was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Stanley was remembered by his mother as an 'all-around, fun-loving teenager' who attended Bruton High School and worked two jobs.
The investigation by the York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office led to the arrest of three suspects: 18-year-old Johnathan Cotman of Toano, and two 17-year-old males from James City County. All three were charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The motive for the shooting was reported to be related to the shooter being the ex-boyfriend of a female who was with Stanley at the time of the incident.
In the ensuing legal process, the charges against Johnathan Cotman were eventually dropped. One of the 17-year-old suspects, a Williamsburg teenager, ultimately pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in June 2017. Initially, prosecutors had upgraded the charge against this juvenile to first-degree murder, along with additional charges of maiming, discharging a firearm at an occupied building, and attempting to commit a noncapital offense. However, a plea agreement was reached, reportedly with the consent of Stanley's family, to avoid another preliminary hearing. The sentencing for this teenager was scheduled for September 2017. The legal outcome for the second 17-year-old suspect remains unclear as records of his case in juvenile court are sealed.
