NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A Norfolk neighborhood took “see something, say something” to a whole new level Monday after a woman had a gun pointed in her face while she was sitting in her car.
Jennifer Duncan had just returned to her Ocean View home from work. It was 4:30 p.m. The sun was still out and many of her neighbors were in their front yards. She had the windows rolled down as she sat in her driveway scrolling through her phone.
Duncan’s next door neighbor Sonnee Stanley recalled what happened next.
“Somebody walked up covered in black, full ski mask on, pointed a gun at her face, told her to get out of the car,” Stanley said.
The suspect told Duncan that if she didn’t get out of her car, she’d get shot in the face.
“It was unnerving,” Stanley said. “Just in our neighborhood, broad daylight, [and a] toddler was playing across the street with his friends. Just very unsettling.”
Duncan told 10 On Your Side she told the suspect, “do it, you’re not getting my car.” That’s when her phone was thrown across the yard and her purse stolen. She said the teenaged boys across the street started chasing after the suspect while another neighbor pulled up in his truck and told Duncan to hop in as they followed along. Stanley’s brother called 911 as he watched the scene unfold.
“I’m really glad it worked out the way it did,” Duncan told 10 On Your Side. “If I didn’t have the neighbors that I have in this neighborhood, it could have been a different situation.”
The teens chased the suspect to Holy Trinity Church, where police were waiting as they arrested a woman they later identified as 21-year-old Rekesia Gray, who faces three charges, including attempted carjacking, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and stealing property.
“It was a whole chase of the neighborhood trying to find the person,” Stanley said.
Duncan has lived on Wells Parkway in Ocean View for the last 22 years and is counting her blessings.
“If my neighbors wouldn’t have jumped in to help me,” Duncan said, “I wouldn’t have my purse back, the suspect wouldn’t be in custody and the Norfolk Police Department, they were just fabulous.”
Stanley told us the neighborhood pays attention.
“We’re very an observant neighborhood,” Stanley said. “I know I’m constantly watching, like, do I know that car? Do I know that person walking by? We do try to watch out for each other.”
As for Duncan, she plans to make a few changes to her routine.
“I’m going to get out of my car, lock my car and go directly into my house,” Duncan said, “because who knows who can appear in your driveway. Everyone be really cautious and make sure you’re paying attention.”