VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A Virginia Beach man was sentenced to two years in prison Thursday for illegally selling guns in 2021.
Tyereis Smith, 19, was originally arrested and charged by Virginia Beach police in relation to the Oceanfront shootings that happened in March 2021.
In July 2021, the Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney's Office nolle prossed Smith's charges as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia took over the case.
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According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Smith, along with 19-year-old Jhaimeek Carter, illegally sold a nine-millimeter pistol, PA-15 rifle and 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun. This sale happened on Feb. 11, 2021.
Within the following two weeks, Smith was also involved in the sale of two more firearms, one of which was sold to a convicted felon.
On March 28, 2021, two days after the Oceanfront shootings, the Virginia Beach Police Department searched Smith and Carter's apartments.
Police found marijuana, digital scales and ammunition in Smith's apartment, and crack cocaine, ammunition and a firearm in Carter's apartment.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Smith is a "law enforcement-confirmed" member of Bounty Hunter Watts, which is part of the Bloods gang. Carter is also affiliated with a gang and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison on Jan. 25.
