NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — In August of 2017, Newport News police were called to the 7400 block of River Road after receiving reports of a shooting. When they arrived, they discovered Eric Blackshear, 27, who was suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He later succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital.
Donell Anthony Howard, 25 at the time, was arrested a week later after turning himself in, and was charged with second degree murder, possession of a firearm by a felon and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The charges were not prosecuted in the end.
However, the Newport News Police Department's Cold Case Team recently obtained "new information" related to Blackshear's murder, and last Tuesday brought new indictments for Howard, including first degree murder, possession of a firearm by a felon and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Today, Oct. 21, Howard was brought into custody.
Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said, "As I have stated many times, this won’t bring Mr. Blackshear back, but seven years is a long time to wait for news like this and we all sincerely hope it helps to bring some form of closure to a family who has suffered a great loss."
He added, "I'm extremely proud of the work our Cold Case Team is doing. They are working on many cases and we look forward to being able to share more stories like this soon."
