NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Newport News Police Department charged a man with first-degree murder and burglary, among other charges, related to a Tuesday night double homcide.
According to police, officers responded to the 300 block of 36th Street at around 9:44 p.m. in reference to gunshots heard in the area. When they arrived, they found two men with gunshot wounds inside of a home.
One man was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The victims were identified as 58-year-old Dean Lamont Gethers and 46-year-old Christopher Rogers.
Police arrested 24-year-old Tavell Emanuel Gethers in connection with this homicide. He was located in Hampton, where he was taken into custody without incident.
Police say Dean is the father of Tavell, and this was a domestic-related incident.
Carnella Jones is Tavell's neighbor and tells News 3 reporter Leondra Head Tavell and his father had a troubling relationship.
"He came over; we’ve talked to him. He seemed sweet, so everything that happened is kind of scary because I didn’t think he would actually do it. You know how parents and sons get into it all the time, so I didn’t think it would happen. They had altercations to where him and his dad were getting into it every now and then, but I never thought it would go that far," Jones told us.
"He did threaten him out loud before, just arguing with him. His dad didn’t seem like a mean person. When they did get into it, his dad was being very nice to him," Jones said.
Jones says Tavell was the main agitator in the arguments with his father.
"It was just him always saying he was going to do something to him, and I never heard exactly what the argument was about because his dad never argued back. He would always be positive, like, 'Chill out, it’s not that serious. Just relax.’ And he would be going off, like, ‘I’ma do this to you. I’ma do that to you.’"
According to court documents, when police arrived on scene, Dean told officers multiple times his son shot him. Dean also told officers his son shot his brother-in-law inside the residence.
Tavell Gethers has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, burglary and discharging a firearm within a dwelling.
NNPD is not looking for other suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing.
