Killing of Coatesville man, 19, seen as reason not to trim police force

A 19-year-old Coatesville man known as "Datbull" was fatally shot Tuesday night, and the county district attorney hopes the death will dissuade city officials from reducing the police force to balance the budget.

Tre L. Davis was shot about 11:30 p.m. at New and Charlotte Streets and was pronounced dead shortly after midnight at Brandywine Hospital, according to Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan.

"Violent crimes like this are a stark reminder of why Coatesville needs a strong and fully staffed police department," Hogan said in a statement.

Facing difficulty balancing Coatesville's budget, City Manager Gary Rawlings has proposed substantial cuts in the police force. The last time the department was radically downsized, then-District Attorney Joseph W. Carroll wrote an open letter to residents urging them to replace the officials who had made the decision.

Less than a month later, the city found itself in the midst of an arson scourge that made national headlines.

Tuesday's victim was a former Coatesville Area High School student who, court records show, had a lengthy history of minor offenses such as harassment, criminal trespass, and disorderly conduct, some of which resulted in short jail stays.

Davis was also cited three times for "compulsory school attendance" in 2006 and 2007. In the fall, he spent a couple of weeks in the Chester County Prison after being charged with simple assault and related offenses, court records show. Officials said the victim was Davis' girlfriend; she failed to appear at the Oct. 24 preliminary hearing, so the charges were dropped.

Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to call Coatesville Police Detective Kevin Campbell at 610-384-2300 or Chester County Detective Butch Dutter at 610-692-5100.