PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Thanks to a call from a concerned citizen, Portsmouth Police are investigating their third homicide this year.
“[Friday] morning, at 10:13 we received a phone call for a suspicious situation. According to the caller, they believed they may have found a deceased individual out here," said Detective Misty Holley, the public information officer for the department.
When police arrived at the 900-block of Suburban Parkway, they found a dead male outside one of the Marsh Landing Apartment complexes.
Police later identified the victim as 21-year-old Terrance Johnson of Portsmouth.
Detectives began immediately investigating Johnson's death as a homicide, because according to a press release, he suffered an apparent gunshot wound.
Not only is this the third homicide for Portsmouth this year, but this is the second homicide investigation in the Marsh Landing Apartment complex.
One neighbor told NewsChannel 3's Merris Badcock this wasn't the first time she had witnessed a homicide investigation in her neighborhood. "Not too long ago, there was one down the street," the female neighbor said.
Another male neighbor expressed his concern.
"It's a sad situation overall," said the man. "I will not say this is a typical case of mankind's inhumanity to man, but either way you look at it, it is sad. A life has been lost, and probably needlessly, also."
Another neighbor suggested that violence seems to have become a way of life for the neighborhood.
"In the neighborhood, it's just, you've got to live where you life. Stuff happens. I'm sorry about what happened. I don't wish that on no one, but I don't know," said resident James Brown, struggling to find the words.
Detectives told NewsChannel 3 they do not believe the two homicides in the neighborhood are related to one another. However, the case is still under investigation, so they are not ruling out any possibilities at this point.
Know something about this case? Call the anonymous Crime Line at 888-LOCK-U-UP. If your tip leads to an arrest, you could get up to $1,000 cash.
