Chesterfield police arrest 2 in connection to shooting death of 18-year-old

CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WWBT) - Chesterfield police have arrested two people in connection to the shooting death of an 18-year-old who was found in a vehicle that crashed into the front porch of a home in 2019.

Demetrius D. Roots, Jr., 20, is charged with first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and shooting into an occupied vehicle, police said. Roots was arrested on Aug. 19 and is being held at the Chesterfield County Jail without bond pending a court appearance.

Samira D Tarabay-Whitfield, 21, is charged with accessory after the fact and obstruction of justice. She was arrested on July 7 and is on bond pending a hearing in Chesterfield General District Court, police said.

“Detectives have been investigating this incident since September when it occurred,” said Lt. Brad Conner with Chesterfield Police.

On Sept. 26, 2019, police were called around 4:13 a.m. to the 6200 block of Gatesgreen Drive for the report that a Hyundai Elantra had driven into a yard and front porch of a home.

At the scene, police found 18-year-old Bryson Andrew Mitchell, of Chester, unconscious and suffering from a gunshot wound.

He was taken to the hospital where he later died.

The Lieutenant stressed the difficulty in this case, saying that police hadn’t “found any type of evidence that indicates that the victim and suspects knew each other, so obviously that kind of puts us into a little bit different of a situation.”

Since Mitchell’s death, family and friends started a “Justice for Bryson” Facebook group, which has over 600 members. His mother told NBC12 back in March that they held an event commemorating what would have been his 19th birthday.

They did not speak with the media after the arrests, but were in touch with Lt. Conner:

“There is a sense of a little bit of relief, in knowing that law enforcement has found out what happened and who did it, and now the process starts with the court system,” he said.

Tarabay-Whitefield is on bond, while Roots has another hearing scheduled for Aug. 27.

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