Dimitri Coleman, a 29-year-old Charleston man, was fatally shot in the early morning hours of May 25, 2024, on the city’s West Side. Police were called to the 400 block of Railroad Avenue at about 3:27 a.m. after reports of gunfire and found Coleman in the roadway with multiple gunshot wounds. Charleston Fire Department personnel attempted life-saving measures but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses said the attack unfolded in seconds at a restaurant and grill where a large crowd had gathered for Memorial Day weekend. Investigators describe an unknown suspect approaching Coleman from behind, grabbing him around the neck, then firing multiple times before fleeing east on foot toward Watts Street. The rear approach left Coleman essentially no opportunity to defend himself; police said the shooting appeared targeted because the gunman fired only at Coleman and not others in the crowd. Multiple people reportedly fired shots at the fleeing gunman, but police found no evidence those shots struck him.

Coleman was born November 11, 1994. His mother, Alvernita Coleman, said he was shot four times, the first striking the back of his head, and described him as playful with a notable smile. Does anyone who was at the Railroad Avenue gathering that morning have information that could help investigators?