VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A man shot and killed his sister, her significant other and then himself, a Virginia Beach Police spokesperson confirmed to WAVY.
Police initially did not release their names out of respect for the families, but on Tuesday confirmed Rebecca Ericson, 42, Stephen Ericson, 39 and Jon Lafave, 38 are the three people who died.
On Sept. 10, just after midnight, Virginia Beach Emergency Communications & Citizen Services or ECCS, received a call for multiple gunshot victims at a home in the 3700 block of Gateway Place.
Officers from the Virginia Beach Police Department arrived on scene, where they found two men and a woman suffering from gunshot wounds.
One of the men was transported to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The other man, and the woman, were pronounced deceased at the scene.
One neighbor declined to be on camera, but described the scene he ran into while trying to return home.
“There was tape up on Gateway Place right here on the court,” the man said. “They did not allow me to drive down. So, I had to park and walk that — I had to get escorted down to my house.”
VBPD homicide detectives said they believe the man who died at the hospital was responsible for the shooting of the other two victims and then himself.
That neighbor told 10 On Your Side after living in the area for 25 years, that is something he could’ve never imagined would happen.
“Super surprising — this is a very quiet neighborhood,” he said.
While VBPD is not seeking a suspect at this time, this remains an active investigation, police said.
The same neighbor described the people who lived in the home where this deadly shooting happened.
“A mother, father, couple of kids, probably two or three kids — adult kids,” he said.
He also said police were investigating in the neighborhood for 10 hours after this happened.
“They were here probably whatever time the shooting was to 10 a.m.,” he added.
WAVY will provide any updates to this case as soon as they are released.
If you have any information about this case, you can submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-888-LOCK-U-UP, downloading the P3 tips app to a mobile device, or visiting www.P3tips.com and submitting a tip.