Two male cousins, ages 16 and 18, have been charged in the fatal shooting of a man in Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø’s West End neighborhood.
God Allahson Saunders, 16, and Jawward Alamin Saunders, 18, were named in first-degree murder indictments returned Tuesday by a grand jury in Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø Circuit Court. Both teens also face a charge of using a firearm in the commission of murder.
Shortly after midnight on Aug. 3, police were called to the 1200 block of Salem Avenue Southwest for a report of a shooting on a sidewalk. Isaac Lamont Cunningham, 43, of Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø, was found dead at the scene.
A surveillance camera located in the area showed the victim standing beside a gray Volvo with the door open when the shooting happened, according to a search warrant filed in circuit court the next day.
The warrant allowed police to search the car, which at the time was parked in the street directly in front of where the shooting happened. A detective with the Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø Police Department stated in the warrant that “he is familiar with this location, as illegal activity has been reported at this address.â€
People are also reading…
J. Saunders
Jawward Saunders is currently facing separate charges of robbery, malicious wounding and use of a firearm in a June 27 incident involving a different man, court records show. He was charged by direct indictment Tuesday with Cunningham’s murder.
At a hearing last month in Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, a judge certified charges against God Saunders, who will face trial as an adult in circuit court. Both cousins are currently in custody.
Last year, Cunningham’s son – 15-year-old Isaac Ikier Cunningham – was shot and killed by one of his classmates at William Fleming High School, according to Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney John McNeil.
Daydrian Martin, 16, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in that case and is scheduled to be sentenced Monday.
Evidence showed that in the months prior to the June 5 shooting, Martin had been involved in two fights with the younger Cunningham at the high school, which is about a block away from where the shooting took place.
Witnesses described seeing Martin, who was then 15, chase after Cunningham and repeatedly shoot him near the intersection of Ferncliff Avenue and Routt Road, according to evidence presented at his guilty plea.
In an interview last year with The Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø, Cunningham’s mother said he was the victim of bullying. Kierston Turner Cole called for increased accountability to ensure student safety at schools.
“I don’t want his passing to be in vain,†Turner Cole said.
