Man attacking woman fatally shot by juvenile in Fayette County, DA says while mulling charges

A Fayette County family is demanding answers after their loved one was shot to death and no one has been charged days later.

Authorities said 39-year-old Shaun Davis was shot and killed inside a home in Georges Township on Walnut Hill Road on Sunday. Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele said a juvenile shot Davis, calling it a domestic situation between Davis and his girlfriend when the juvenile stepped in to defend the woman. Investigators said Davis allegedly had a knife and a gun when he began threatening those inside the home.

Davis' family said that the woman had bailed Davis out of jail and married him just days before the shooting, questioning how the state could allow that to happen when the two were allegedly under a no-contact order.

"How did the state fail my brother? That's what I really want to know. How?" said Tyla Davis, Shaun Davis' sister.

"I can sit here, and some people may blame him, and some people may blame her. But I think who I'm going to start with is the state, because why was that allowed?" Shaun Davis' ex-girlfriend, Paige Kersten, said.

Kersten said she's now left raising their four children — ages 6, 5 and 4-year-old twins — without a father.

"My world, our world, and most importantly, his children's world is upside down," Kersten said.

Kersten said Davis was recently bailed out of jail by the woman he'd just married, but admitted their relationship was riddled with a history of domestic violence.  

"She got Shaun out of jail. But on the bailout paperwork, it stated they were not to be around each other," Kersten said. "Why, why, why did that happen? Because she really shouldn't have been able to get him out, and if she didn't, no one else would have. He'd be alive, and my kids would have their father."

"How did the state allow the victim to bail out her defendant when he was so abusive? Was the state so greedy that they needed $1,500?" Tyla Davis said.

KDKA took their questions to the district attorney.

"In Pennsylvania, a no-contact order does not apply to a victim," Aubele said. "A victim has no obligation to stay away from a defendant. That may not seem right, and I think it's certainly in some situations problematic, especially if a victim is trying to contact the defendant. But it's not illegal. It is not a crime as to her."

Aubele told KDKA on the day of the shooting that Davis' manner of death was ruled as a homicide and confirmed this week that a juvenile inside the home shot him multiple times.

"We are right now investigating this as potentially a domestic violence situation in which Mr. Davis was the aggressor," Aubele said. "The information that we have received and what is being told to us is that Mr. Davis was assaulting his girlfriend in the home, and that the juvenile intervened."

Aubele said a juvenile then used another gun that was inside the house to shoot Davis after he began threatening people inside the home.

"The individual that shot Mr. Davis is claiming that he was coming to the defense of another, and the information that we have right now seems to back that up," Aubele said.

Davis' family said they are aware he and the woman had a toxic relationship and understand Davis has a history, but believe more should have been done on the state level to prevent it.

"I will not sit up here and say that my brother was innocent," Tyla Davis said. "We're not going to say that. But at the end of the day, he deserves justice."

Aubele said they are still gathering interviews and evidence and seeking information that anyone has about the case.

"Mr. Davis does have a history. That's something that we have to look at in any case where self-defense or justification is raised. That includes the fact that he has numerous drug offenses. He has been incarcerated for being a felon not to possess, and we do believe that he had a weapon on his person at the time that he was shot," Aubele said. "We also note that there is a significant history of domestic violence in that home, with Mr. Davis being the assailant. We have had at least one case that was withdrawn at the request of the victim. We have another case for which he was actually pending charges at the time of this incident, where he admitted to biting the female in the home."

Aubele said the investigation is far from over as they wait for results from forensic evidence to come back as well as autopsy results. The identity of the juvenile shooter has not been released, and no charges have been filed.

"Depending on what charges could be filed, if any charges are filed, would determine whether or not his identity would ever be released. There could be a chance that he's processed through juvenile court if there are charges filed," Aubele said.