U.S. Marshals Arrest Kevante White, Suspect in Huntington Double Homicide

Federal marshals say they captured Kevante Jaimere White, 27, on Sunday in the 4600 block of Grandview Avenue after linking him to the Feb. 20 shooting in Huntington that killed two men and wounded a third. White is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and an additional violent charge; he is being held at the Stark County Jail pending extradition to Huntington, West Virginia.

Huntington police investigators say the shooting began after a verbal altercation in a parking lot in the 300 block of 14th Street. Authorities and local reporting place the shooting at about 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 20; three men were struck. Derious Johnson, 39, a youth basketball coach, was killed at the scene. Adrian Phillips, 26, a city worker, later died at a Huntington-area hospital. A third victim survived; sources differ on that person’s condition, with several outlets reporting the survivor was in stable condition and one update indicating the survivor remained in serious condition.

The arrest was led by the U.S. Marshals Service’s Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, which investigators say tracked White from Akron into the Canton area over the weekend. Cleveland-area task force members included U.S. Marshals and Stark County Sheriff’s deputies, and Huntington investigators worked with U.S. Marshals Service personnel in West Virginia to coordinate the search. U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott framed the capture in blunt terms: “The victims, Derious Johnson, a youth basketball coach and Adrian Phillips, a city worker were senselessly murdered and taken from their families and communities. This suspect needed to be caught quickly, and the U.S. Marshals will always be there to partner with our local departments and support our communities all across the country.” Reports indicate White was arrested without incident.

Authorities say White was quickly identified following the shooting and had returned to Northeast Ohio; Huntington police material cited by local outlets noted he “had traveled back to Akron following the shooting, which required the assistance of the U.S. Marshals in arresting him, according to police.” Officials also report White was on supervision with the Ohio Adult Parole Authority for prior aggravated robbery and felonious assault convictions out of Summit County and was released in November 2025 after serving a 10-year sentence.

While most accounts agree on the 4600 block of Grandview Avenue as the arrest location, reporting varies on whether that address is in Canton proper or Plain Township and on the compass designation of the block (NE versus NW). Media outlets and law enforcement consistently state White was taken to Stark County custody and will remain at the Stark County Jail until extradition to Huntington is arranged. Prosecutors in West Virginia are expected to formalize charging paperwork; officials have yet to reconcile the differing language used by outlets for the third violent count, which appears in reports as either “malicious wounding” or “malicious or unlawful assault with a firearm.”