Davonta Coley

Davonta Coley was a 20-year-old Black man from Montgomery, Alabama. A former high school football player who played offensive guard and defensive tackle, he was remembered by those who knew him as funny. His life was cut short just a week before Christmas in 2020.

In the early morning hours of Friday, December 18, 2020, police responded to a call about a person injured by gunfire. Officers arrived at the Liberty Square Apartments in the 3800 block of Liberty Square Drive around 12:30 a.m. There, they discovered Davonta Coley, who had sustained a fatal gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Davonta's death marked the city of Montgomery's 62nd homicide investigation of the year. While police stated that the circumstances surrounding the shooting were not immediately known, their investigation quickly led to a suspect. An 18-year-old from Montgomery, Antoine McDaniel Jr., was arrested in connection with Davonta's death.

Following his arrest, Antoine McDaniel Jr. was charged with murder and transported to the Montgomery County Detention Facility. As of December 2020, the case was pending legal proceedings. No further updates on the outcome of the charges have been made publicly available.