PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — A teenager is accused of fatally shooting another teen during a robbery on Wednesday in Portsmouth.
Portsmouth police say they found the 17-year-old male victim with fatal gunshot wounds after responding to a report of shots fired in the 100 block of Sykes Avenue.
On Wednesday night, they charged another 17-year-old male with aggravated murder, robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
A make-shift memorial, installed along Sykes Avenue in Portsmouth marks the spot where 17-year-old Jesse Travis Hogg, a senior at Manor High School, took his last breath on the front lawn of a home.
A resident of that home, who did not want to be identified, saw and heard the shooting as it unfolded.
“I went to my window looked out [after hearing gunfire]and saw some people in a red Kia shooting at somebody or something. I saw one person who walked up, kinda close range, shoot some more shots. Two young men and a young lady took off on foot,” said the witness.
From the neighbor’s vantage point, she had difficulty seeing Hogg in the last moments of his life. Once police arrived, she saw that Hogg, who lived nearby, was actually inside the yard of her fenced home.
Regina Mobley: That must have been very unnerving for you to realize a murder occurred just outside your home?
Witness: Very much so because I didn’t even realize that that gate opened on that end.
The witness went on to say her roommate attempted to offer medical assistance but it was clear the wounds were fatal.
The victim’s mother, Tara Cox, tells 10 On Your Side although an officer on the scene gave the family false hope by saying paramedics were working on her son, in reality, her son was pronounced dead on the crime scene.
Following Wednesday’s shooting, Hogg’s grandmother reached out to 10 On Your Side on Thursday after realizing local news organizations had not covered her grandson’s death.
The next day, long after the crime scene was cleared, Portsmouth police issued a statement saying what had been termed a death investigation was in fact a homicide investigation.
Because of the witness’s account and the Be on the Lookout Order[BOLO] issued by police, 10 On Your Side has reached out to Portsmouth Police to learn whether additional suspects could be charged in the case.
Sources have told 10 On Your Side the alleged accomplices are under the age of 15.
No other information in the case was shared in a press release Thursday afternoon. Anyone with information is asked to contact the PPD Investigations Bureau at 757–393–8536. Or call the Crime Line at 1–888-LOCK-U-UP.