Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Suffolk Circuit Court Grand Jury returned indictments Monday against three men in connection with separate shooting deaths during 2022.

The 23 indictments connected to the murder charges are part of the 125 returned Monday, March 27 by the Grand Jury.

Preston Otis Davis, 29, of Suffolk, faces 12 felony and four misdemeanor indictments including a count of first degree murder and one count of second degree murder that involve two separate incidents.

Three felony indictments were returned against Ronald Richardson, 44, of Suffolk, including one count of first degree murder and one count of second degree murder.

Antonio Larnell Melton, 38, of Suffolk, faces four felony indictments with one of those being second degree murder.

 

Davis indictments

The Grand Jury Monday returned 12 felony indictments against Davis in connection with a Sept. 4 shooting death of Caleb Pittman in the area of South Saratoga Street.

The felony indictments include second degree murder; two counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony; two counts of a violent felon possessing/transporting a firearm; abduction by force/intimidation; and eluding/disregarding police. Direct indictments on capias felonies returned by the Grand Jury Monday include first degree murder; two counts of malicious wounding; and two counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony.

There were four additional capias misdemeanor direct indictments returned against Davis, with all being for assault and battery. 

Police arrested Davis after officers responded to a call of a woman being assaulted in a vehicle where Davis allegedly led them on a pursuit that began at Pitchkettle and Lincoln roads and ended at Chisholm and Blythwood.
Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle, but city police said in a news release that Davis refused to stop. While the officers pursued the vehicle, police said the woman jumped from the moving vehicle. Despite officers’ attempts to stop Davis, the vehicle continued to elude police until he exited and attempted to flee on foot. Officers quickly apprehended Davis, arresting him on charges related to the death of Caleb Pittman.
Court records show Davis is in custody with arraignment set for April 20.

 

Richardson indictments

Richardson’s indictments are in connection with a Oct. 8, 2022 shooting death at Auto Care Center in the 800 block of West Constance Road.

He is charged with shooting Rakheem Scott, 30, multiple times allegedly resulting from a disagreement over the time it was taking to fix Scott’s vehicle by someone who was renting space at the location. Police said there was a disturbance about the amount of time it was taking to fix the vehicle. While police said that situation was defused, police said Scott then “got into another altercation in which shots were fired.”

Richardson faces a felony capias count of first degree murder, along with one count each of second degree murder and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.

Court records Tuesday morning showed Richardson was out on bail and no date had yet been set for arraignment.

 

Melton indictment

The four felony indictments returned against Melton Monday are in connection with the Sept. 4, 2022 shooting death of a 4-year old boy that police said was not intentional.

Melton faces indictments on a charge of second degree murder, violent felon possessing/transporting a weapon, use of a firearm in commission of a felony and firearm reckless handling causing serious injury.

The shooting occurred in the 200 block of Pine Street, police reported at the time.

Police said at the time that Melton had arrived home, went into a bedroom and was unloading a firearm that he was allegedly carrying illegally when it discharged. The bullet from the firearm went through an interior wall of the residence and struck the child while he was playing in his bed.

Police said Melton went into the child’s room, and, believing the child was dead after seeing he was struck by the bullet, he fled the scene. The mother, who was asleep at the time, woke up and first looked outside the home, believing the sound had come from there. Police said the mother then went back inside to check on her children when she found her son.