Two Alabama men who were found guilty by a Walker County Jury of felony murder and several other felony counts in connection to the shooting death of Dakota Bradshaw in Rossville back in August have been given a life sentence without the possibility of parole. They were also given an additional five years for possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Kavon Collier, 23, and Eric Dodds, 23, both of Huntsville, Alabama, were found guilty last month. On Friday, June 23rd, both men received a life sentence without the possibility of parole and given an additional five years in prison for possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. On Monday, Aug. 1, Walker County Sheriffs Office Major Mike Freeman contacted the GBI for assistance in investigating Mr. Bradshaw’s death. At 1:17 p.m., Walker County Sheriffs deputies and Rossville Police Department officers responded to a shots fired call at 417 East Peachtree Street, Rossville. Rossville Police officers arrived on scene to find Mr. Bradshaw shot inside his home. RPD Officers began life-saving first aid, and he was taken to Erlanger Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. Witnesses saw a red truck and a blue Dodge Challenger leaving the home of the incident and described a shooter getting into the red truck and speeding away. GBI Special Agent Nicholson testified the motive behind the incident was to retrieve a blue Dodge Challenger from Bradshaw’s property. He says Collins rode along in a red truck with Collier, Dodds and others to get the car back, and everyone was armed. Dajah Larissa Collins, 18, of Rossville, who was arrested and booked on October 19th said Dodds was highly emotional, crying in rage during the incident. She said Dodds was carrying a rifle with an Army-green camo design.
On Monday, Aug. 8, the GBI obtained a murder warrant for Johntae Kavon Collier. On Wednesday, Aug. 10, the United States Marshals Task Force in Huntsville, special agents with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and the Huntsville Police Department SWAT team and crime scene specialists, executed a search warrant at 7203 Chatfield Way NW; Huntsville, and arrested Collier. Collier was taken to the Madison County Jail and waived extradition to Walker County. On Monday, Aug. 15, the GBI obtained murder warrants for Eric Dodds. On Tuesday, Aug. 16, Dodds was taken into custody by the US Marshal’s Task Force in Huntsville and taken to the Limestone County Jail before being extradited back to Walker County.
The fourth suspect in the August 1, 2022 murder was arrested Thursday, November 3rd, 2023. Dangerous gang member with a violent criminal history, Darius Woods, age 26, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was taken into custody in Chattanooga by the United States Marshals Service. Woods was arrested on a murder warrant from Walker County, Georgia, charging him in the August 1, 2022 death of Mr. Bradshaw at 417 E. Peachtree Street, Rossville, Georgia. Additionally, Woods was arrested and charged with an outstanding murder warrant from Montgomery County, Tennessee. Sheriff Wilson applauded the diligence of the US Marshal Service as they searched for Woods’ whereabouts.
GBI Special Agent in charge Joe Montgomery said during a press conference, they wrote over 70 search warrants, searched endless social media accounts and collected phone data to track the defendants from Huntsville to Chattanooga to where the murder occurred. Dodds and Collier’s extremely popular Tik Tok and other social media accounts came into play during the investigation. Lookout Mountain District Attorney Clayton Fuller stated in the press conference, “Dakota Bradshaw was gunned down in our community in a senseless act of violence. He was known for having always having a smile on his face and graduated near the top of his class. He was hoping to pursue a career in cybersecurity. He was a son, brother, and by all accounts a good friend.”
