Vernon Smith. (PPD)
PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Police in Portsmouth arrested one man in connection with a shooting that occurred in the 800 block of Stratford Street Tuesday.
According to officials, the shooting happened around 2:30 a.m. When medics arrived on scene, they pronounced 35-year-old Antonio Blount dead from an upper-body gunshot wound.
Police arrested Vernon Ray Smith and charged him with first degree murder in the incident. Information from a R.E.S.E.T. (Rapid Engagement of Support in the Event of Trauma) walk within the community Tuesday helped track down the suspect.
The Portsmouth Police Department said in a statement that the community’s cooperation and trust helped it pursue leads in the case.
