Three more suspects have been arrested following last week’s gunfire in Virginia Beach, Virginia, bringing the total number of suspects arrested to six, authorities said Tuesday.
The newest arrests occurred Sunday as authorities acted on search warrants obtained in connection with three separate shootings Friday night in the city’s Oceanfront area, the Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk reported.
The most recently filed charges, involving alleged gun sales and drug possession, are not directly related to the three shootings, the newspaper reported.
Virginia Beach police Chief Paul Neudigate identified the three newest suspects in a report to the City Council, according to the newspaper:
Gerald Scott Thomas II, 35, was charged with selling a firearm to a convicted felon, failing to perform a criminal history check prior to selling a firearm, being a convicted felon with a firearm and drug possession.
Gerald Scott Thomas II, 35. (Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office)
Jhaimeek Kerion Carter, 18, was charged with three counts of selling a firearm to a convicted felon, failing to perform a criminal history check prior to selling a firearm and drug possession.
Jhaimeek Kerion Carter, 18. (Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office)
Tyereis Smith, 18, was charged with three counts of selling a firearm to a convicted felon and failing to run a criminal history check prior to selling a firearm.
Tyereis Smith, 18. (Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office)
All three suspects have ties to street gangs from which Virginia Beach recently confiscated 14 firearms, Neudigate said, according to the Virginian-Pilot.
Suspects previously arrested were identified as Ahmon Jahree Adams, 18; Nyquez Tyvon Baker, 18; and Devon Maurice Dorsey Jr., 20, each charged with seven counts of felony assault, illegally using a gun and recklessly handing a gun.
From left: Ahmon Jahree Adams, 22; Nyquez Tyvon Baker, 18; and Devon Maurice Dorsey, 20. (Virginia Beach Police Department)
“Some of these individuals were not unknown to the Virginia Beach Police Department,” Neudigate told the City Council, according to the Virginian-Pilot.
The Friday shootings left at least two people dead. They were identified as Deshayla Harris, 29, an innocent bystander who suffered a gunshot to her head, and Donovon Lynch, 25, who was killed during a confrontation with a Virginia Beach police officer.
Harris was a former cast member of the reality TV series “Bad Girls Club,” while Lynch was a cousin of music star Pharrell Williams, who is from the area, the newspaper reported.
On Tuesday, more than 100 people gathered for a vigil near the spot where Lynch died, according to the newspaper.
Link to original shooting article.