Sentencing delayed for man who pleaded guilty to 2020 fatal shooting in Uniontown

After listening to victim impact statements from four relatives of William Lee Brown IV, Fayette County Judge Nancy Vernon ruled that the sentencing for Dayoge Oshay Bush should be rescheduled to a later date so members of the district attorney’s office could meet with Brown’s family to explain the reasons for the plea bargain in the case.

Bush, 26, of Uniontown, entered the guilty pleas April 17 in connection with the Oct. 10, 2020, shooting death of Brown, who was a passenger in an SUV parked at Evans and Lincoln streets in Uniontown.

Brown’s family appeared especially upset by the 15-to-30-year prison sentenced negotiated by Assistant District Attorney Rob Harper that the victim’s relatives said was too lenient.

“A piece of my heart is gone forever,” said Lakeesha Thomas, who is Brown’s mother. “You deserve way more than that. You get to talk to your mom, I get to talk to an urn. Fifteen years is not enough time.”

Brown’s sister Amya Thomas, said she felt like the family got the “runaround” from prosecutors and were led to believe that the plea was the best scenario for the case rather than for them. She added that she doesn’t think Bush has showed any remorse.

Bush looked straight ahead with no emotion while Brown’s family members gave their statements.

Harper said he spoke to Brown’s family before moving forward with the plea, and while he acknowledged they were unhappy about the outcome, they still seemed to accept it.

“Mr. Harper told me they weren’t happy, but understood,” Vernon said. “I don’t see that here.”

Vernon planned to reschedule the sentencing for late June or early July, and she would decide then whether to move forward after hearing if the family is satisfied by Harper’s explanation of the case. She added that there was little she could do to deviate from the terms negotiated in the plea deal.

Lakeesha Thomas said she’s pleased Vernon delayed the sentencing, although she’s unsure if it would make any difference in the minds of her family.

“I appreciate that,” she said of the judge’s decision. “I don’t think it’s too late. You can’t put no time on no one’s life, but 15 years is disrespectful.”

She and other relatives wore shirts that read “Ten Toes Down For William Brown” to show that they were standing strong for their slain loved one. Brown’s fiancée, Chelsey Johnson, said in her victim impact statement that Bush took away the father of her young son, which would forever leave a void in the child’s life.

“My son needs his father and I cannot produce him. My son has questions that I cannot answer,” Johnson said. “This man stole a life, and not just one. He stole my son’s life, too.”

According to court documents, Bush fired several shots into the passenger side of Brown’s vehicle following an argument, striking him multiple times in vital organs. The driver of the SUV was not injured, but Brown, 27, of McKeesport, was driven to Uniontown Hospital in the vehicle and later flown by medical helicopter to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., where he died.

In May 2021, Uniontown police charged Bush with criminal homicide, prohibited possession of a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license, discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, possession of and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, and two counts of reckless endangerment. Bush, who has been held without bond since his arrest, pleaded guilty to all charges.

The case was initially sealed to protect the identity of the SUV’s driver, but it was unsealed following Bush’s preliminary hearing in August 2021. However, the magisterial docket information was mistakenly withheld from public view until Monday when the Herald-Standard requested and received a copy of the criminal complaint and affidavit from the Fayette County Court Administrator’s office.