‘I’m scared for somebody else’s child’: Father seeks answers after son shot, killed in Chesapeake

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Police say a man died after being shot while inside a vehicle on Indian River Road in Chesapeake early Sunday morning.

Chesapeake Police say they got the call for shots fired in the area of Indian River Road and Sparrow Road just before 1:30 a.m. Shortly after, police also received a report of a vehicle crash with injuries at Indian River Road and Oaklette Drive.

When they got to the scene, officers found the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle unconscious and unresponsive.

Police say the man had been shot. He was sent to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The vehicle came to rest on the raised center median and it appeared to have multiple bullet holes.

On Monday, police identified the victim as 19-year-old Tavis Mclean.

Members of his family did not want to be identified, however, during an interview with WAVY Sunday evening, Mclean’s father recalled the moment he found out his son had died.

The moment he found out about his loss felt like deja-vu. Tavis is the second son he’s lost to gun violence.

“His name was Elijah Mclean. He got killed on 30th Street in Newport News,” he said about the deadly shooting. “Tavis was in the car, he was driving. His brother was in the passenger seat, he had a cousin that was in the car too. None of them got hit. The only person that got hit was his brother.”

The similarities between the loss of his sons were disturbing to the dad. Both died after reportedly being shot while in a vehicle on a Sunday.

“To lose two sons in three years to the exact same crime,” said Tavis’s stepmother. “It’s terrible. If you know something, if you do know something, if someone saw something, please come forward so that his father, his mother, and his siblings can get closure.”

No one was sure why the Newport News teen was in Chesapeake. His stepsister tells WAVY News that he was supposed to perform in a concert Sunday night.

“It really hurt me to hear that he was gone,” she said. “He might be a stepbrother, but he’s a brother.”

His stepmother says they’re trying to wrap their minds around the loss. “Trying to process, waiting for tomorrow to get here so we can learn more from police.”

The family is hoping closure isn’t far off the second time around. In the meantime, dad is hoping someone comes forward if they know something — for the sake of other families.

“Well, I’m scared for somebody else’s child,” he said. “The next person. They might go through this. There’s a killer on the loose. You know what I’m saying? Somebody that seen something, knows something over there, that heard something at that time in the morning, or something. I wish they would come out and speak on it. Bring these people to justice.”

There is no suspect information at this time. The incident is currently under investigation.