NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) – A man has died following a shooting Sunday afternoon in Newport News.
According to police, the call for the shooting came in around 3:40 p.m. in the first block of Traverse Road. When officers arrived on the scene, they found a man outside suffering from gunshot wounds.
The victim has been identified as 23-year-old Mark Maurice Ray.
“We received a call for shots fired in the area. We responded. There were a couple of individuals on scene that pointed to an individual that was down,” Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said.
The responding officers the victim on the ground.
“Officers and medics pronounced deceased at the scene,” Chief Drew said. “An adult male appears to be in his early 20’s. Still very preliminary. What we need to do at this point is get him identified.”
A preliminary investigation revealed the man was walking when he was shot, according to police. Newport News Forensic Team was on the scene collecting evidence in front of a church sign.
“I want to hear what forensic has recovered. I know they have recovered some evidence,” Chief Drew said.
Chief Drew said they will also try to see if they can identify cameras nearby.
“We will be using our technology to see if anything cameras in the area or if anybody picked anything up on their ring camera,” Chief Drew said.
He said officers will spend hours piecing together what happened and talking with the community.
“We will be out here for a while, then we will regather and regroup to see what each detective has and what the officers have and put a plan together… We will sit in a room and put all that together. Who saw what,” Chief Drew said.
Chief Drew said officers and chaplains will come out around the scene tomorrow around 4 p.m. to reassure the nearby community.
“To do a walk-through to reassure some citizens… “Let them know what happened. We want to be open and transparent as we can… Calm down some fears. I need to know a little bit more to share with the community,” he said.
No suspect information has been released at this time. The investigation is ongoing.
“We are asking anyone if they saw anything or hear anything, please reach out to us,” Chief Drew said.
If you have any information about this case, you can submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-888-LOCK-U-UP, downloading the P3 tips app to a mobile device, or visiting www.P3tips.com and submitting a tip.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
