PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Portsmouth police have physical evidence tying a known gang member to a stolen car that was involved in a shootout in April, according to court records.
Cedric Rashad Davis Jr, 18, was arrested following a shooting involving police at a cemetery in Norfolk on July 22. Davis is a known gang member who was wanted on charges in Portsmouth, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach, including possession of a stolen car, fleeing law enforcement, failure to appear in court, two counts of carjacking, and a use of a firearm.
Another 18-year-old, Malachi Elliot, was also arrested following the shooting involving police at Riverside Memorial Park in Norfolk. He was wanted on a contempt of court charge and was wounded in the shooting.
10 On Your Side investigators first learned of Davis during a June 7 press conference when Portsmouth Police Chief Renado Prince named him and four other men as “armed and dangerous” gang members.
“We take action and arrest these people over and over. I gave you a listing of names of people who we know for a fact are shooters,” Prince said. “A listing of people who we know for a fact have offended, been arrested, offended, released, over and over again.”
The most recent charge against Davis in Portsmouth stems from a Nissan Maxima that was stolen out of Virginia Beach before it was involved in a shootout in front of the Save & Save Supermarket on Seventh Street on April 21.
Detectives believe Davis was behind the wheel of the stolen Nissan when another car opened fire on it during a drive-by. Surveillance video showed the driver get out of the Nissan and shoot back at the other car as it drove away on Seventh Street. Police believe the driver dumped the stolen car in the 500 block of Madison Street with a wounded teenager inside. Responding officers found a single bullet hole in the Nissan’s windshield and a 16-year-old boy inside suffering from a gunshot wound to the head, according to court records.
Forensics revealed physical evidence inside the stolen car linking it to Davis — his fingerprint. At the supermarket, police also found spent cartridge casings and a parked car that was damaged by gunfire, court records state.
This isn’t the first time Davis has been in trouble with the law in Portsmouth. Court records show he was convicted of felony buying or receiving stolen goods in Portsmouth Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on Feb. 12, 2020. He was also accused in a shooting that happened in Portsmouth in September 2021, but those charges were set aside in March.
Davis is due in Norfolk General District Court in August and in Portsmouth General District Court in September.