SUFFOLK, Va. — A man has died after a shooting in Suffolk Monday night, marking the city's first homicide of 2024.
Suffolk police said that they received a call for a gunshot wound victim in a home in the 100 block of Pine Street around 9:15 p.m. When police arrived, 63-year-old Sherman Lee Perry was found with a single gunshot wound.
Perry was pronounced dead at the scene. Neighbors on this small street are grappling with the city's first deadly shooting of the year.
“Just to think, you know, that someone would actually take someone’s life like that like they have a license to kill,” said resident Maryann Killingsworth.
Killingsworth said she's tired of seeing this violence in their community. “It’s all over," she said. "They think they can take guns and kill people.”
Other neighbors said they heard multiple gunshots on New Year's Day.
“I heard one loud gunshot," said a man who didn't want to be identified. "Then, I heard a couple more gunshots coming from the end of the street.”
That man thought the shooting happened on another street. He quickly realized it happened right next door to him and killed his neighbor.
“A fun-loving guy, you know?" he said of Perry. "I don’t understand why anyone would go this far.”
“Right next door, you know?" Killingsworth said. "I got these grandbabies around here.”
Killingsworth said she takes care of her grandchildren on Pine Street. She said the first homicide of the year has her feeling uneasy and unsafe. She plans to be even more careful around the area, fearful this could happen again.
“All these people going around shooting and killing people, I saw they have no morals," Killingsworth said. "When I was young, when we were coming up, we didn’t hear about stuff like this.”
Police did not release other details about the incident or suspect information and said the crime is under investigation.
Suffolk police ask that if anyone has information regarding this incident, to contact them either online at www.p3tips.com, visit the Suffolk Police Department website and look for the Suffolk Crime Line link, or call 1-888-562-5887, Option 5.