Police arrest city man in fatal shooting

By Carrie J. Sidener

Published: October 7, 2008

Daniel Garland sat at the corner of Charlotte and Early streets in Lynchburg on Tuesday morning, trying to make sense out of why his friend was killed Monday night at the end of his block.

Christopher Austin, 21, and two other people were shot in the 200 block of Charlotte Street around 10:21 p.m. Austin, shot in the head, died. The other two survived. An 18-year-old Lynchburg man is now in jail,charged with second-degree murder in Austin’s death.

“This don’t make no sense,” Garland said. “All I’m going to do is sit outside and think about him.”

Kenneth Tyron Chatman was arrested Tuesday. He also is charged with malicious wounding, shooting into an occupied vehicle, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a sawed-off shotgun.

Capt. Wayne Duff, of the Lynchburg Police Department, said the shooting happened after some sort of altercation between a group of people standing in the yard of a Charlotte Street home and another group in the street.

After the shots rang out, the two who were injured — an 18-year-old and a 20-year-old — got into a car with three other people and sped away, Duff said. Shots also were fired at the vehicle, hitting it.

Duff said police were able to get the car stopped in the 500 block of Church Street, just over a mile away. The two teens who were injured were treated at Lynchburg General Hospital and released.

Police have made no other arrests.

“At this time, we believe (Chatman) was the only shooter,” Duff said.

It’s unclear if Austin was the intended target, Duff said. There was some kind of ongoing dispute that may have led up to the shooting, he said.

“We’ve still got a lot of parties that we want to talk to,” Duff said.

Austin’s body was sent to the state medical examiner’s office in Roanoke for an autopsy.

The shooting has some who live on the street concerned about their own safety. The street is located off Rivermont Avenue, a couple of blocks from Cabell Street.

Jason Wilkerson said he’s lived in the 200 block of Charlotte Street for five years.

He has four children and worries about their safety.

“This was too close to home — two houses up the street,” Wilkerson said. “A stray bullet could have come in the house and hurt my kids. It’s not safe.”

Garland said he became friends with Austin after Garland moved to Charlotte Street two years ago. That’s when they met and started hanging out.

“He was a good friend to me,” Garland said. “It don’t make no sense.”

Police are asking that anyone who may have witnessed the shooting or has information regarding the crime to call Lynchburg Police Investigator J.T. Loyd at (434) 455-6178 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 798-5900.

Related:

Two hospitalized in related city shootings late Monday

Kenneth Tyron Chatman