SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A man has died after being shot on the 6100 block of Old Townpoint Road in Suffolk Monday afternoon, police said.
Suffolk Police on Tuesday identified the man as Alvin Brown Jr., 24, of Suffolk.
Neighbors are reeling after shots rang out just after 2 p.m. in the Huntersville area of northern Suffolk near Interstate 664.
“The noise was like steel, banging together, it was just that loud,” said neighbor Deirdre Sawyer. “Then, you hear like three loud noises — boom, boom, boom.”
Sawyer said the area is usually quiet and friendly, but Monday afternoon was different.
“I just saw this shadow running, so I came on out the house,” Sawyer said. “By the time I got around the corner, the street was blocked off. And so, I got out my car because this is my neighbor, I know them and so, he was on the porch and we thought he was OK. The ambulance came and got him, and they took him on.”
When police arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound to the chest. Police said the man was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Suffolk Vice Mayor Lue Ward Jr. said an incident like this does not represent Huntersville, an area the city has been working to improve quality of life.
“The community have changed and we’re much closer than we were before, so I want to know what’s going on,” Ward said. “Anything negative like that is a little setback, but to know the community is not like that. Like I said, we have done a lot for this community, the people here are respected. And I respect this community.”
Ward said the city is behind Huntersville, but to prevent this from happening again, residents are going to have to speak up.
“I just think that we can get back in our civic league, start by letting the people know what’s going on,” Ward said. “You just can’t live somewhere and don’t know your neighbor. We got to know what’s going on and then, when we find out what’s going on, if it’s not what we want, we have to do something about that.”
If nothing changes, he said it could hurt the next generation.
“You got these kids here … — it’s very important where you grew up and how you grew up,” Ward said, “so I want to make sure they feel safe here, friendly, and people invest more money.”
Police continue to investigate the shooting, which they have classified as a homicide.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP. They can also submit information online at p3tips.com.