On the morning of Mother’s Day, May 8, 2022, Michael Arthur, an 18-year-old Black male from Dumfries, was shot and killed after an altercation in the parking lot of the Somerset Pointe Apartments on Deming Drive in Gainesville, Virginia. An acquaintance rushed him to a nearby hospital, but his injuries were fatal. Police believe the shooting was not random and say the confrontation began as a fight in the apartment complex parking lot.

Prince William County Police identified two people connected to the incident: 20-year-old Malachi Thaddeus Coleman and a 16-year-old male, Kayanti Newman. Both turned themselves in; Coleman was booked at the Adult Detention Center in Manassas and the juvenile surrendered at the Garfield Police Station in Woodbridge. Coleman was charged with second-degree murder, robbery, and using a firearm in the commission of a felony, and the 16-year-old was charged with second-degree murder. Coleman was held without bond.

Michael was remembered as fun-loving, respectful, and ambitious, with a passion for clothing design. A family-organized GoFundMe sought help with funeral expenses. If anyone has information about what happened that night at Somerset Pointe Apartments, please come forward.