Dontae Lamar Palmer, a 31-year-old African American man, died on August 8, 2014, in Dayton, Ohio.

Cotton was charged with tampering with evidence and later pleaded guilty to one count of tampering with evidence and one count of reckless homicide; he was held briefly in custody after the October 2024 incident and posted bond on October 25, 2024. The Trotwood Police Department continued to investigate, and a sentencing date of March 3, 2025, was mentioned.

The records link Palmer’s death to the broader shooting investigations but do not provide further details about the circumstances of Palmer’s death or any charges directly tied to it. Does anyone have additional information about Dontae Palmer’s case or how investigators connected it to the later Trotwood shootings?