PORTSMOUTH, Va. — UPDATE: Portsmouth police announced on February 10 that two suspects had been arrested and face charges in connection to this shooting.
Shamoine Briggs, 30, and Joseph Cross, 31, are both charged with two counts of First-Degree Murder, Aggravated Malicious Wounding, five counts of Use of a Firearm, Robbery, Carjacking, Arson, Larceny of a Firearm, and Possession of a Firearm by a Violent Felon.
They're being held in Portsmouth City Jail without bond.
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Two men are dead and a woman is in the hospital with critical injuries after a shooting in Portsmouth early Sunday morning.
It happened in the city’s Prentis Park neighborhood on Nashville Avenue, a dead-end road, not far from Deep Creek Boulevard.
Detectives say it happened just before 3:30 a.m. According to police, when officers got to the scene they found two men with fatal injuries and a woman with life-threatening injuries.
Pamela Anstead lives nearby. She said she learned about the shooting after reading the news on her cell phone. This morning, she decided to drive past the area after noticing the police cars.
“It’s not really surprising. It’s not surprising because this happens all the time, all over Prentis Park – a lot. Most of the killings are in Prentis Park,” Anstead said. “But what does surprise me is that somebody can actually kill 2 people and injure another which - they probably meant to kill her, too.”
Officers spent hours at the scene Sunday, investigating and collecting evidence.
Police have not given any information about a possible suspect or motive in this case, nor whether they have arrested anyone. Police say the shooting is under investigating.
“It’s very disturbing,” Anstead said. “Because the two people that were killed could be some friends of mine, they could be somebody that I know – which I’m almost sure, it’s somebody that I know.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the PPD Investigations Bureau at 757–393–8536, or the Crime Line at 1–888-LOCK-U-UP. You can also reach the Crime Line at **TIPS (**8477). Callers can also submit an anonymous tip through the Crime Line’s “P3 Tips” app or visit their website at www.portscrimeline.com.