Authorities identify victim of Thursday’s fatal shooting

Police said 23-year-old man was gunned down at his home

By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times

Balloons surround the doorway of the home of Thursday’s fatal shooting victim, Devaughn W. Shelton.

On Friday morning, a steady stream of mourners and onlookers slowed in front of the white stucco home in the 500 block of Olive Street in Coatesville, where balloons paid tribute to the victim of Thursday afternoon’s fatal shooting.

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said the victim was Devaughn W. Shelton, 23, who was shot inside his home. Hogan said a second person was shot and transported to a local hospital, where he is in stable condition. Hogan declined to provide additional details, citing investigative reasons.

The Coatesville Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, and Chester County Detectives responded to the scene and are investigating, Hogan said.  Anyone with information should contact Chester County Detective Ed Nolan at 610-344-5100 or Coatesville Detective Kevin Campbell at 610-384-2300.

Missy Shelton, who identified herself as the victim’s mother, said she was not home when the shooting occurred. She described her son as “a good kid who kept to himself.” She said he enjoyed football and PlayStation games.

About 15 minutes before the shooting, a busload of teens left the Bridge Academy and Community Center,  a ministry located across the street from the Shelton home.  The teens were headed to the Camp at Old Mill for an evening of dinner, prayer, and fellowship, said Frances Sheehan, who heads the Brandywine Health Foundation.

Sheehan said Bridge Academy is one of numerous city organizations working with the Coatesville Youth Initiative – under the auspices of the Brandywine Health Foundation –  to create a better environment for the city’s youth.

Someone used the side of the Sheltons’ home as a canvas for expressing condolences.

Sheehan said the teens could have been in the line of fire if they had not been transported from the neighborhood shortly before the shots rang out. “It’s a perfect example of how prevention saves lives,” she said.

The murder victim may have been the kind of youth that organizations like Bridge Academy are trying to reach. According to court records, Shelton was first arrested in March 2008 at age 18. He spent a couple months in jail and was paroled after pleading guilty to possessing both an unlicensed firearm and drugs.

Three months later, court records show he was charged with the manufacture, delivery or possession of drugs with the intent to deliver. Under the terms of a June 2009 plea agreement, he received a one- to two-year prison sentence, records said.