On a spring evening, May 25, 2013, a lively carnival atmosphere near the Hampton Coliseum was shattered by gunfire. In the ensuing chaos, 16-year-old Raphael Davis Jr., a Black male from Hampton, was struck in the upper body by a bullet. Emergency services found him in the street and rushed him to a local hospital, but his injuries proved fatal. The shooting, which occurred around 11 p.m., also left four other teenagers wounded. The incident prompted city officials to cancel the remainder of the Hampton Spring Carnival.
The violence reportedly erupted from a verbal altercation between two groups. In the wake of the shooting, the community mourned the loss of the young man, holding a vigil in the parking lot of the Hampton Coliseum. Family and community members gathered to remember Raphael and to call for an end to the senseless violence that had cut his life short.
The Hampton Police Department launched an investigation that led to the arrest of two teenage suspects, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old. They were charged with murder, four counts of maiming, and five counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The two individuals arrested were later identified as Eric Nixon and Ryan Taybron.
Despite the initial arrests, the path to justice took a turn. In April 2014, the charges against both Nixon and Taybron were 'nol prossed.' This legal action meant that while the charges were dropped, they could be brought again in the future if new evidence comes to light. The case, therefore, remains unresolved, leaving a community still searching for answers and closure in the tragic death of Raphael Davis Jr.
