Man in custody for murder of innocent bystander in Chester: Court docs

Late in the night on Sept. 20, 2025, 37-year-old Mayo Whitaker was found bleeding at the 1400 block of West Congress Street in Chester due to a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.

Detectives found eight spent shell casings at the scene that were determined to be from the same 9 millimeter handgun, which was allegedly used by 24-year-old Ishaad Maultsby, according to court documents.

Maultsby was arraigned on first-degree murder and related charges on Tuesday. According to the criminal complaint, Maultsby told a witness a week after the shooting that Whitaker was not his intended target.

Lashira Council, the executive director of the Chester Community Coalition, told NBC10 that she is working to make the city where Whitaker died safer.

“I lost my brother to gun violence right down the street in 2002,” she said. “There are opportunities to address conflict and issues without resorting to violence, and there are professionals, community members, credible community members, that can support in that, once again, de-escalation before we even get to violence.”

Violence is down 54% over the past five years in Delaware County’s only city, officials said last year.

Community policing and other programs have helped reduce shootings, according to officials.

“I think the most important part of doing this violence prevention work in this community is building connection,” Council said. “So, what we’ve been able to do is build relationships within the community; to build those connections that create opportunities for de-escalation.”