In the early part of 2011, the city of Chesapeake, Virginia, recorded its first homicide of the year with the death of 23-year-old Joel Pittman. On a Monday evening, authorities were called to a residence on Hoover Avenue where they discovered Pittman's body in the front yard. He had been shot. The home where the young man was found belonged to 18-year-old Tashaun Sherrod.
The investigation into Pittman's death quickly led to a suspect. Chesapeake Police arrested Tashaun Sherrod in connection with the shooting. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Following his arrest, Sherrod was held in jail.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident and the arrest, law enforcement did not release details regarding the circumstances that led to the fatal shooting. Information about a possible motive or the relationship between Joel Pittman and Tashaun Sherrod was not made publicly available. The subsequent legal proceedings and the final outcome of the charges brought against Tashaun Sherrod are not detailed in the available online sources.
