James Moorehead

James Moorehead was an 18-year-old male from Richmond, Virginia, with a future full of promise. Known to many as "James Polo," the high school graduate loved sports and music and was bound for Virginia Union University. His mother, Tamesha, later said, "He was everything to all of us." His family and friends remembered him as a young man on his way to achieving his dreams.

On the afternoon of January 2, 2019, those dreams were cut short. At approximately 4:24 p.m., Richmond police responded to a report of a shooting in the 100 block of West Brookland Park Boulevard. Officers arrived to find James suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound. He was rushed to a local hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries later that evening, marking the city’s second homicide in the first two days of the new year.

The investigation quickly developed a lead. Shortly after James was brought to the hospital, another man, 19-year-old Kelvontae K. Davis of Henrico, arrived in a private vehicle. He was also suffering from a gunshot wound, though his injury was not considered life-threatening. Detectives connected the two incidents and their investigation led to the arrest of Davis.

Authorities charged Kelvontae Davis with voluntary manslaughter in the shooting of James Moorehead. A year after the incident, court records showed a new development in the case. A hearing was scheduled for the end of February 2020 for Davis to enter a plea agreement and plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter.

A year after his death, on what would have been James’s 20th birthday weekend, his family gathered at the site of the shooting to honor his memory. His godfather, Travis Wilkins, announced that the family had "adopted the block" where James was killed, pledging to keep it clean and check on the residents to turn "tragedy into triumph." He delivered a message on behalf of James’s mother, pleading with his son’s friends to remain peaceful, avoid retaliation, and carry on his legacy by pursuing their own education and goals.

The last reported development in the case was in January 2020. Anyone with further information about this incident is asked to call Major Crimes Detective G. Russell at (804) 646-7715 or contact Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000.