PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Family members of the 10-year-old boy tragically shot and killed in Portsmouth are calling on the community to gather for a candlelight vigil Sunday evening.
The vigil to honor Keontre Thornhill will be held on Farragut Street at 5 p.m., according to his mother Kevina Thornhill.
"Please I need all the love I'm dying inside," Kevina Thornhill said, in part.
Portsmouth Police Chief Stephen Jenkins called Keontre an "innocent bystander" who was struck by a stray bullet fired outside his home on Farragut Street Friday evening. Police said responding officers attempted life-saving measures at the scene before Keontre was taken to a hospital where he ultimately died.
"This tragedy was the result of a dispute between teenage girls that erupted into a scenario of irreparable violence," said Chief Jenkins.
The Portsmouth Police Department (PPD) announced that one arrest has been made but said more are likely. Shawnday Nakisha Ross, 31, was arrested on a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Authorities are searching for 26-year-old Cleon Banks whom PPD identified as a person of interest. He is considered "armed and dangerous."
"As the Chief of Police, I can assure you that we are doing—and will do-- everything we can to find everyone responsible for the loss of this young life and let the perpetrators have their day in court," Jenkins said in a statement.
Both Chief Jenkins and Mayor Shannon Glover shared not only their condolences to the boy's family but also concerns regarding violence amongst youth in the city.
"Any violence at any time is always going to be unacceptable in the city of Portsmouth. We love you and we need you put the guns down and seek another means of resolving any issues that you may have," Glover told 13News Now.
