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Suspect in Suffolk shooting turns himself in, friend of both parties speaks out

Police believe Alvin Bryant Jr. is responsible for shooting David Gomes to death in Suffolk. A friend of both men says he's known them for years.

SUFFOLK, Va. — UPDATE: Suffolk police said that Bryant Jr. turned himself in shortly before 9 p.m. on Monday. He's being held at Western Tidewater Regional Jail without bond. 

Suffolk police say a murder suspect is on the run and that he's armed and dangerous.

Alvin Bryant Jr. is charged with second degree murder after being accused of shooting David Gomes to death on Good Friday.

A man who knows both the victim and the suspect is speaking out.

TJ said he’s known Bryant Jr. and Gomes for years. He said he’s not sure what might have happened between the two men.

“It’s mentally stressful because it’s like, how the hell did we get here?” TJ asked. 

"How did it even develop to being an issue to go so far?” 

The shooting happened around 7:30 p.m. 

TJ said it happened inside his home on Beech Street, but he wasn't at home at the time, he was at work.

Suffolk Police Department investigators say when they got to the home, they found Gomes dead from a gunshot wound. 

Detectives later named Bryant as a suspect.

He described Gomes as a caring friend. 

“From what I know of him, he’s a great dude. A humble dude. A loving dude. He’d give you the shirt off his back," TJ said. 

He said charges against Bryant come as a surprise.

 “I’ve never known him to be a violent person either. Not around me.” 

TJ said the violence needs to stop.

“In these days and times, it’s like when is it going to be enough for us? We don’t need the police to police us, we can police ourselves," TJ said. 

"When is it going to be enough? When are we going to say, ‘It’s enough.’ Let’s stop the gun violence. Let’s stop killing each other – let’s build each other. Let’s build the community.

Bryant Jr. is also facing gun charges. Police say someone last saw him in a gold 2001 Honda Accord with Virginia tags TXJ1714. 

This is the fifth homicide in Suffolk within the last month. According to data from the FBI, Suffolk has averaged five homicides a year for the last decade.

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