MARTINSVILLE, VA – An arrest has been made in the homicide of a man at a Martinsville apartment complex.
On Sunday around 8:32 p.m., the Martinsville Police Department was called to Maplewood Apartments, 1446 West Fayette Street, for reports of shots fired.
When officers arrived, they found Charles Brandon Coleman, 31, of Martinsville, laying behind one of the apartment buildings with multiple gunshot wounds.
Police say he was unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene.
His body was transported to the medical examiner’s office in Roanoke for evidence collection and to determine the official cause of death.
According to police, reports and evidence indicated that Coleman was involved in an argument with Andre Douglas King, 51 of Martinsville, which turned into a physical fight.
At some point, King pulled out a handgun and began shooting at Coleman.
King was taken into custody without incident by the police department and the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force on Dexter Street in Martinsville.
He is being held at the Martinsville City Jail without bond and faces the following charges:
First degree murder
Use of a firearm in the commission of a felony
Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
Probation violation
Police say that although an arrest has been made, the case is still under investigation as they continue to interview additional witnesses and collect evidence.
If anyone has any further information regarding this crime, they are encouraged to call Sergeant Vaughan at 276-403-5247 or Crime Stoppers at 276-632-7463.
Information that leads to the arrest and conviction of suspects in this case are eligible for up to $2,500.00 in reward money.
ORIGINAL STORY
MARTINSVILLE, VA – The Martinsville Police Department is at the scene of a homicide at an apartment complex.
At around 8:35 p.m. on Sunday, police received a call of shots fired at Maplewood Apartments located at 1446 West Fayette Street in Martinsville.
“There was an argument here in the parking lot. Upon the officers' arrival, we found one subject that had been shot. When the fire and EMS folks came, their efforts to resuscitate that person failed and it ended up being a homicide,” Martinsville Police Chief Eddie Cassady told BTW21 News at the scene.
Cassady said his department is very early in the investigation and they are going door-to-door at the apartment complex to gather information.
“I would like to reach out to the community members here at Maplewood Apartments that if anyone has any information to please call 276-63-CRIME or they can call the Martinsville Police Department at any time to report any information, the Police Chief said.
No one is in custody at this time.
“We are in touch with our Commonwealth Attorney Andy Hall. We have spoken with him so he's well aware of our case. We're going forward with that,” Cassady added.