NORFOLK, Va. — One week after 31-year-old Tony Camarillo was shot and killed in Norfolk’s Ghent neighborhood, friends are making sure the community remembers the person behind the picture that has been shared widely since his death.
Camarillo — known to many of his friends as “Tony C” — was part of Hampton Roads’ art community, with connections to music, film and art.
On Wednesday night, friends gathered for a vigil to remember his life and the impact he had on the people around him.
“I think he brought love and joy and happiness and humor, and I think he brought people together,” Camarillo’s friend Jonathan Ramirez said. “And I think if you were in front of him, he made you feel like you know you were special.”
Ramirez knew Camarillo through the local art community. He is also one of the people who was with Camarillo during his final moments.
Camarillo was shot last week near Colley and Spotswood avenues in Ghent while on his way to the Naro theater, where a short film he co-produced was set to premiere.
Ramirez was nearby and came upon the scene. At first, he said he did not realize what had happened.
“I thought they were actually doing a bit, and when I got closer, I realized it wasn't a bit,” Ramirez said. “It was real.”
As Ramirez got closer, he recognized the person who had been shot.
“I immediately noticed it was Tony,” Ramirez said. “I took that in for a second and went into response mode.”
Ramirez and others tried to help Camarillo until paramedics arrived. Camarillo was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
The shooting has left many of the people Camarillo met through Hampton Roads’ arts community grieving a man they say had a talent for connecting people.
For Ramirez, that ability to make people feel welcome is one of the things he will remember most about his friend.
“I think he brought people together,” Ramirez said.
As Camarillo’s friends mourn his death, the investigation into the shooting continues.
Norfolk police have identified 30-year-old Skyler R. Brock of Seaford as wanted in connection with Camarillo’s death.
As of Wednesday night, police had not announced an arrest or provided new information about the search for Brock.
One week to the day after Camarillo was killed, his friends gathered not at the scene of the shooting, but to celebrate the life he lived and the community he helped build.
For Ramirez, Wednesday night was also a chance to send one more message to his friend.
“We miss you, Tony. We love you, Tony,” Ramirez said. “We wish you were here, but we know that your soul, your spirit is still with us.”
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