A dispute in a Charleston alley turned deadly on the evening of April 22, 2021, when 29-year-old Charles C.J. Thaxton was shot during an altercation near the 130 block of Stuart Street on the city’s West Side. The argument escalated around 7:45 p.m. when the other person produced a firearm and a single shot struck Thaxton in the chest. He was taken to a local hospital but died of his injuries.

Police identified the suspect as 30-year-old Beau Alexander Hodge of Clendenin. Hodge fled the scene in a Ford F-250 but was involved in a crash in Elkview about 9:00 p.m., where deputies found the truck on its side and Hodge outside the vehicle. He was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder and booked at the South Central Regional Jail.

Does anyone have information about the dispute or witnessed the events near Stuart Street that evening?