Travis Charles was a 31-year-old Black father of five from Canton, Ohio, known by some as a professional boxer nicknamed Canton City Cobra. On the evening of October 25, 2022, he went to a home in the 1200 block of 16th Street NW to try to pick up one of his children. The residence belonged to Shaun M. Cunningham, the grandfather of four of Charles’s children.

According to testimony, Cunningham shut the door when Charles arrived; Charles allegedly banged on the door, kicked it once, and began to walk back to his car when Cunningham shot him. Police found Charles near the back steps with a single gunshot wound to the back of his head; he was taken to Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital and pronounced dead. Cunningham, then 48, was arrested at the scene and charged with murder. Detectives stated they believed the shooting stemmed from a child custody dispute.

At trial prosecutors told jurors Cunningham had his gun ready before Charles arrived and was not acting in self-defense; the defense said Cunningham feared for his life because of a medical condition and Charles’s boxing background. In October 2023 a Stark County jury found Cunningham guilty of murder, felonious assault, and a gun specification; at sentencing Judge Chryssa Hartnett gave Cunningham life with the possibility of parole after 18 years. Did anyone in Canton know Travis or have information about his visit to 16th Street NW that night?