NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk said goodbye to a man who ran a small, family-owned business and who also made a big impact on his community.
Tuesday morning marked the funeral of convenience store operator James Carter, who died in a shooting outside Triple C Convenience store five days before Christmas.
According to Norfolk police, an argument outside the store on Lindenwood Avenue escalated and ended in gunfire on December 20. His family said Carter was trying to break up the argument when he was shot.
His death sent shockwaves through the community, with people describing him as a well-known and well-loved figure in the community.
"The community will never be the same. They called him the godfather of Norfolk," Carter's great-niece Amber Payton said. “People here are telling me they’re still here because of him. Keep going.”
Scores of people packed inside the chapel at Granby Street's Metropolitan Funeral to say goodbye to Carter on Tuesday. Friends and family filled the pews, lined the walls, and overflowed into the hallways for a chance to share memories, songs, laughter, and tears.
“He was my friend. He was my pops," Pandora Watts said. "When I say he was my backbone, he was my backbone. When I go could to no one and lay my burdens, my problems, my issues, my happiness, I could go to him."
Carter's son Kevin said losing his father to gun violence, after such a long life, is devastating.
“Everywhere my dad went. Wherever he started a business, he took care of the community," Kevin said. “I could live with life if he had just died naturally, but he was taken from us. That’s not a good feeling. Not for me, not for my brothers, not for my sisters, not for his grandchildren, not for his friends. That’s not a good feeling.”
Those who knew Carter say they'll remember him as more than a member of a family-owned business. He was a mentor, cherished friend, and prominent figure who will be dearly missed.
“He was possibility. He was compassion," Norfolk Police Chief Mark Talbot said. "He demonstrated the values that a lot of us aspire to.”
Three people are behind bars in connection with the shooting. 42-year-old Dennis Hisle is accused of pulling the trigger and is facing second-degree murder and malicious wounding charges. 40-year-old Bruce Hisle is facing charges of possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of ammunition by a felon, and 41-year-old Tamika Credle is accused of driving the getaway car after the shooting.