Datwan Gatling was 26 when he was fatally shot while working a sanitation route in North Charleston, South Carolina, on July 18, 2024. He was driving a city sanitation truck when he was shot; the vehicle then left the road and struck a tree. First responders took Gatling to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries. He was a father of five and was described by family as loving, caring, and well-mannered.

Law enforcement identified 24-year-old Tyrell Lamont Smith in connection with the killing. Smith was located and arrested in New York by U.S. Marshals in early August after not being apprehended immediately in South Carolina. He was extradited to South Carolina in November and taken into custody by the North Charleston Police Department; he has been charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Records made public after the arrest show Smith had multiple prior arrests, including for possession of a firearm and attempted murder, which Gatling’s family cited in expressing frustration with the criminal justice system.

Does anyone have information about Gatling’s route that day or saw the sanitation truck before the crash?