Skyteria Eva Nyasia Poston

Skyteria Eva Nyasia Poston, a high-achieving 16-year-old known to her loved ones as "Eva," was a junior at Shelby High School in North Carolina with dreams of becoming a cosmetologist. Her mother, Mona Chatman, described her as an A+ student and a hard worker who was focused on her future. Skyteria was a beloved daughter and sister, and her death was a devastating blow to a family that had already been touched by gun violence.

The afternoon of November 9, 2021, was shattered by gunfire on Roberts Street in Shelby. Just before 4 p.m., Skyteria was sitting in a car outside her home when a vehicle drove past and someone inside opened fire. Her mother and two sisters were inside the house and dropped to the floor when they heard the loud shots. One of her sisters, Brandy Brooks, recalled thinking the bullets were hitting the side of the house. After calling 911, the sisters opened the front door to a horrific scene. Skyteria, who had been shot three times in the back, was collapsing on the porch. Her family watched helplessly as she took her last breath. Skyteria was rushed to Atrium Health-Cleveland, where she was pronounced dead.

The Shelby Police Department responded to the shooting at the intersection of Roberts and Martin streets and quickly launched a homicide investigation. Based on witness information, investigators identified a suspect the following day. They secured warrants for the arrest of 20-year-old Santana Almont Eaves Jr., also of Shelby, on charges of first-degree murder and discharging a weapon into an occupied vehicle. Police described the shooting as a drive-by and began a search for Eaves, who they considered armed and dangerous.

The search for Eaves lasted for two months. The U.S. Marshals Service joined the effort, offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to his capture. Authorities believed he was receiving help from friends or family in Cleveland and Gaston counties, or possibly in Virginia. On January 12, 2022, U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement located and arrested Eaves on Biggers Lake Road in Shelby. He was taken to the Cleveland County Jail. During his first court appearance, he was held without bond as prosecutors announced they were building a case that could potentially seek the death penalty. Skyteria’s family expressed relief at the arrest. "My baby getting her justice," her sister Zanaya Davis said. "I’m happy that she’ll be set free. Her soul will rest."

For more than four years, Santana Eaves Jr. remained behind bars awaiting trial. However, the case took a stunning turn in April 2026. After a jury trial, Eaves was found not guilty of all charges in Skyteria's murder and was released from custody. His defense attorney argued that Eaves had a solid alibi, with multiple family members testifying that he was babysitting across town at the time of the shooting. The defense also claimed that prosecutors had blocked key evidence from being presented at trial and pointed to other potential suspects in the investigation who should be re-examined.

The acquittal left Skyteria's family and community grappling with the outcome and the lack of resolution. Her mother had previously spoken of the immense pain of losing a second child to gun violence; her son was shot and killed in 2012. "They took the heart out of my chest," Mona Chatman said after her daughter’s death. The family believed Skyteria was an innocent victim, not the intended target of what they suspected was a gang-related shooting. "Justice needs to be served because you took a life that had nothing to do with the gang-related stuff y’all do," Chatman said. As of April 2026, the murder of Skyteria Poston remains officially unsolved. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Shelby Police Department at (704) 484-6845.