CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Police in Chesapeake are investigating a Saturday afternoon homicide that left one man dead.
Authorities say they received a call around 2:45 p.m. for reports of gunshots and an injured man in the 4000 block of Brookland Drive. When officers arrived on the scene, they discovered a man was shot and killed while sitting in a vehicle in the parking lot.
He was identified on Monday morning as 35-year-old Deveon Simmons, of Virginia Beach.
“He just woke up happy all the time,” said his younger brother, Kevin Simmons. “It was never dull with him.”
Kevin Simmons says Deveon was a star football player at Landstown High School. After a series of turns in his life, he was back in Hampton Roads coaching little league football in Virginia Beach.
“He loved football, so it was his way of staying with football as a coach,” Kevin Simmons said.
Kevin Simmons says his brother was leaving a game on Saturday when he stopped to visit a friend in Chesapeake. That’s where police say Deveon Simmons was shot and killed.
The suspect is described as an unknown male last seen fleeing the area on foot.
Kevin Simmons says the loss is devastating. His family is hoping police catch whoever is responsible.
“It would bring a lot of peace to my mom most importantly so she could know who did this to her son and why,” Kevin Simmons said. “That’s more important than anything.”
The family is holding a vigil for him Wednesday night, in a special place: the field at Aden Park Apartments in Virginia Beach.
“All the way in the back, in the big field, that’s where we started playing football,” said Kevin Simmons.
The vigil starts at 7 p.m. at the complex on Weaver Drive. The family is asking people to bring white and red balloons, as those were Deveon’s favorite colors.
“We just gotta keep Dee alive, because everything, he’d want us to celebrate and not be so sad, so we’re going to celebrate,” said Kevin. “Just come and share the memories they have with him, I think that brings peace to my family. Just seeing videos and pictures of him, how he lived his life to the fullest.”
Download the WAVY News App to keep up with the latest news, weather and sports from WAVY-TV 10. Available in both the Apple and Google Play stores.