Newport News medics did not transport a man shot in the head to the hospital for roughly an hour after he was incorrectly pronounced dead at the scene of the October shooting, a responding police officer testified during a court hearing Wednesday.
Quandrell Williams, 39, ultimately died Oct. 25 — 10 days after the shooting at a residence in Stuart Gardens.
The Newport News government previously said emergency responders’ care of Williams that day “did not live up to Newport News’ Standards of Conduct in responding to his injuries” and that “appropriate corrective action” was taken. But the testimony given during a preliminary hearing for the man charged in the shooting confirmed additional details about what went wrong that day.
Lakavious Lamont Charity was charged with second-degree murder in Williams’ death. However, Newport News General District Judge Charisse M. Mullen ruled Wednesday there was no probable cause and dismissed the case against Charity. His defense attorney expected him to be released from custody later Wednesday.
Newport News Police Officer Steven Gibbs said during testimony that medics arrived at the scene at 5:50 a.m. on Oct. 15 and had declared Williams dead. He said the medics did not transport Williams to a hospital until about an hour later.
Newport News city officials have provided little information about the shooting and response to the public in the months since Williams’ death. Officials declined to provide a timeline of events or to make officials available for interviews to the Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot. They have also declined to specify how the medical care provided to Williams did not adhere to their standards of conduct or what corrective actions were taken. WAVY-TV first reported the delay in care in April.
Williams’ delayed transport to the hospital appeared to have nothing to do with the judge finding no probable cause to prosecute Charity. The judge’s opinion was largely swayed by the testimonies of Justice Williams — who had a child with Quandrell Williams and lived at the home where the shooting occurred — and her sister Shaquora Vinston.
Vinston said that she, Justice Williams, Charity and a friend of Charity’s named “Reel” went out for a night of drinking Oct. 14 before ultimately returning to Justice Williams’ home later that night. According to Vinston, early Oct. 15, Reel left the residence and Justice and Charity went upstairs.
Vinston claimed that after 5 a.m., Quandrell Williams started banging on the door of her sister’s home and yelling. She said Quandrell and Justice had argued by text message earlier in the day. She said the banging on the door lasted 8-10 minutes and that Quandrell was angry and demanding to be let in.
Vinston and Charity tried to sneak out the backdoor, but when they did, Vinston said Quandrell Williams rushed the door, and Charity tried to hold it shut. Vinston later heard a gunshot.
Justice Williams said the gun belonged to Quandrell Williams, and that he carried it “all the time.” She also said that while Quandrell Williams would visit every day, he did not live there and was not welcome to come in that night.
Attorney Joshua Goff, who is representing Charity in the criminal case, argued that Quandrell Williams tried to push into an apartment that wasn’t his — comparing it to a burglary. He said Quandrell Williams was shot with his own gun.
“You are entitled to use deadly force if someone is trying to break in,” Goff argued. He later said that “deadly force was justified under these circumstances.”
Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Quwanisha Roman strongly disagreed, describing the killing as “unlawful.” She disputed Goff’s characterization, noting that Quandrell Williams visited the home daily. She added that Charity did not live in the home, arguing against him being entitled to use deadly force.
A forensics investigator and police detective also testified in the case, although neither discussed Quandrell Williams’ medical care.
At the end of the roughly two-hour preliminary hearing, Mullen ruled there to be no probable cause.
After the hearing, Roman declined to discuss the case. Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard Gwynn said he will soon meet with the prosecutors and lead investigator to determine next steps and “to find out what we can do to make sure we get justice for Mr. Williams’ family.”
Gwynn noted that an option is to try to directly indict Charity and pursue the case in circuit court. But he said he won’t make a decision until he knows “all of the facts.”
Goff said the judge made “the right decision.”
Josh Janney, joshua.janney@virginiamedia.com.
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