Travis Charles, a 31-year-old Black man from Canton, Ohio, was a beloved father, brother, and friend. Known to some as a professional boxer with the nickname "Canton City Cobra," he was a father to five children. His family remembered him as a special person whose loss would be felt at every birthday, holiday, and milestone his children would have to face without him.
On the evening of October 25, 2022, Charles went to a home in the 1200 block of 16th Street NW in Canton. The residence belonged to Shaun M. Cunningham, the grandfather of four of Charles's children. Charles was there in an unsuccessful attempt to pick up his child. According to testimony, after Cunningham refused and shut the door, Charles became angry, banged on the door and kicked it once, then turned to walk back to his car. As he was leaving, Cunningham shot him.
Canton police were called to the home around 8:13 p.m.
and found Charles lying near the back steps with a single gunshot wound to the back of his head. He was rushed to Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Cunningham, then 48 years old, was arrested at the scene without incident and charged with murder. Detectives believed the shooting stemmed from a child custody dispute.
The case proceeded to a trial in the Stark County Court of Common Pleas. Prosecutors argued that Cunningham was not acting in self-defense, telling the jury he was furious and had his gun ready before Charles arrived at the house. Cunningham’s defense attorney argued that his client feared for his life because he had a medical condition that could make a punch from a professional boxer like Charles fatal.
In October 2023, a Stark County jury found Shaun M. Cunningham guilty of murder and felonious assault, along with a gun specification. During the sentencing hearing, Charles's sisters delivered emotional statements about their loss. "The night you shot my brother was purely unnecessary," his sister Tashea Brown said in court. Judge Chryssa Hartnett sentenced Cunningham, then 49, to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 18 years.
