On August 19, Coles told Savannah Police he had seen Davis with a .38-caliber pistol, and that Davis had assaulted Young. Coles failed to tell police that he owned a .38 caliber weapon and was in possession of that weapon on the night of the shooting. The same evening as the shooting, Davis drove to Atlanta with his sister. In the early morning of August 20, 1989, Savannah Police searched the Davis home but all they found was a pair of Davis' shorts in a clothes dryer. Davis's family began negotiating with police, motivated by concerns about his safety. On August 23, 1989, Davis returned to Savannah, surrendered himself to police and was charged with MacPhail's murder. The murder weapon was never recovered, and Mr. Coles told police that he had lost his .38 caliber weapon before it could be tested.