Man charged with murder in Richmond killing

RICHMOND, Calif. (KTVU) - Richmond police arrested a homicide suspect on Wednesday who was charged with murder today by the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office in the killing of Javonte Prothro earlier this week. 

Richmond police's Special Investigations Section detectives arrested 19-year-old Dawaun Rice in Vallejo. 

Police were searching for the suspect Monday after a man was fatally shot while behind the steering wheel of a car, authorities said.

Police said Prothro, 29, was from Hercules, California. The shooting was reported at 10:52 a.m. near the Bayview Mart grocery store at 1025 S. 47th St., according to city photographer Christian Wimmer. Police said the man had been shot several times while seated in the driver's seat of the car.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, Wimmer said. A motive was not known in the case.

KTVU has learned that the suspect went through a controversial program in Richmond that pays teens to stay on the right track. The program called, Office of Neighborhood Safety, is not part of the police department, but is one of Richmond's community initiatives. 

The program identifies young adults who tend to be involved in gun violence and provides them counseling, social services and cash to those involved in the program to not get involved in criminal activity. 

Rice was considered one of the successes of the program and was even featured on a national television show for changing his ways.