HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — A call to police describing a suicide. A description from her brother that she was shot by someone outside. A shell casing on the floor outside her bedroom. These are some of the conflicting details in court documents that surrounded the death of a 12-year-old girl found Saturday morning on North Roger Peed Drive in Hampton.
Hampton police said Wednesday afternoon only that they are involved in a “death investigation.”
By Wednesday at 7 p.m., police released additional information saying the case was now being investigated as a homicide.
A suspect is charged in the case, but police did not release his name. The 16-year-old suspect is charged with homicide, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a juvenile, obstruction of justice, and providing false information to police.
They are in custody and being held in Hampton on unrelated charges out of Norfolk.
Police say just before 11:30 a.m. Saturday, they got a call that a female had shot herself in the Avalon townhomes community. When they arrived at the home on Roger Peed Drive, the 12-year-old girl had a gunshot wound to the head.
Medics treated her but she was pronounced dead nine minutes later.
Hampton police say a 16-year-old male was there, and identified himself as the victim’s brother. He’s referred to in court documents as “DLC” and he told police that someone named “Junior,” who had dated the victim, had made a threatening phone call to him. Junior was in the neighborhood, which is about a mile from Buckroe Beach.
Police say DLC initially told them he went out the back door of the townhome and Junior shot at him. DLC went back inside and upstairs to his sister’s bedroom. As brother and sister were looking out the window Junior fired again, this time striking the 12-year-old girl.
But police say DLC then changed that story.
This time, DLC told them he had fired at Junior when he was outside downstairs, not the other way around.
According to police, DLC admitted to having a gun, threw it out the window before police arrived, and called a friend to come and pick it up.
The house is equipped with Ring cameras with audio and video. A police affidavit says a single shot was heard at 11:20 a.m., followed by “a female screaming as if in fear.” DLC and his sister are heard talking at 11:21 a.m. At 11:25 a.m., DLC exits the bedroom and a black and silver gun is lying on the floor. A cartridge casing is on the hallway floor that hadn’t been there before. Two minutes later, the call came into Hampton police dispatch from a male that a female had shot herself.
Documents describe that the shirt DLC was wearing had blood spatter, and attempted to leave the scene. He was detained, and police say he began to have a panic attack and was transported for treatment.
The Hampton school division confirmed they are providing support and counseling to the girl’s school, but declined to confirm which school or the student’s identity.
Editor’s note: The video in the player below aired before police announced an arrest in the girl’s death.