In the early morning hours of July 15, 2016, a single gunshot shattered the quiet near the Old Dominion University campus in Norfolk, Virginia, forever altering the course of several lives. Dante Lewis, a 24-year-old male sailor originally from Chicago, was found inside a 2015 Kia Forte at the intersection of West 49th Street and Hampton Boulevard. He was suffering from a critical gunshot wound to the head.
Paramedics rushed him to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, but his injuries proved too severe. Surrounded by his family, Lewis succumbed to his injuries the following day.
The investigation revealed that the shooting had occurred a block away from where the car was found, in the 1000 block of 48th Street. Witnesses reported that Lewis had been involved in an argument with a group of men shortly before the fatal shot was fired. Investigators obtained surveillance footage from a nearby 7-Eleven and The Edge nightclub which showed the group of men, including the suspected shooter. This footage became a crucial piece of evidence in a case that would soon take a dramatic turn. Sources later confirmed that Lewis was an active service member stationed on the USS Gunston Hall.
Two weeks after the shooting, Norfolk police arrested 24-year-old Davon Ramone Richardson, charging him with second-degree murder and a related gun count in connection with Lewis's death. The arrest was reportedly based on the testimony of a witness who identified Richardson as the gunman. Richardson maintained his innocence, claiming he was not at the scene of the crime, and spent the next year and a half in jail awaiting trial.
Just as his trial was about to begin, the case against Davon Richardson collapsed. His defense team had acquired and enhanced the surveillance video, which ultimately showed a different individual committing the shooting, directly contradicting the witness's account. Faced with this new evidence that cast significant doubt on their key testimony, prosecutors dropped all charges against Richardson, citing insufficient evidence to secure a conviction. After spending nearly 17 months incarcerated, Richardson was released. The investigation into the murder of Dante Lewis remains open, with detectives still searching for the person responsible for his death.
