SUFFOLK, Va. - An 18-year old suspect was taken into custody on second-degree murder charges after a man was killed in a late-Tuesday night shooting in Suffolk.
The Suffolk 911 Center received multiple calls of shots being fired at the Hoffler Apartments, located in the 2200 block of E. Washington Street, at approximately 12:05 a.m.
Upon arrival, police located an adult man who had been shot and was pronounced dead on scene. The deceased victim was identified as 31-year-old Rufus Lindell Artis of Windsor.
While on scene at E. Washington Street, police learned that the suspect, 18-year-old Franklin man Maleek Sailun Meyers, arrived at Obici Hospital to be treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. He was later arrested on charges of secoind-degree murder, conspiracy to commit a felony, assault in the commission of a felony, discharging a firearm in or around a school and using a firearm in commission of a felony.
According to police, officers are also investigating the possibility that Wednesday's shooting could be connected to a shooting incident from Tuesday, April 26, which also took place at the Hoffler Apartments. In that incident, a juvenile male suffered non-life-threatening injuries; several vehicles and one apartment building were also struck by gunfire.
Residents of the apartment complex where the shooting happened tell News 3 reporter Leondra Head they are fed up with the recent uptick in crime in the neighborhood.
"I heard the first round of shots, which was at this end of the property," Philip Burns said.
Burns has been living at the complex since 2018 and wants to see the city take action.
"Increasing police patrol or even having an officer on site from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., because that’s when most of the shootings occur. This isn’t the first or second one - this is the 10th one since I moved in," Burns said.
Burns says crime in the area goes unsolved because some are afraid to speak.
"There’s a code of silence out here. Their little code word is, 'Snitches get snitches.' I think they are scared of retaliation from neighbors or the actual criminals," Burns said.
71-year-old Pearcy says he was inches away from a bullet when someone started shooting a few months ago. Pearcy only wanted to be identified by his first name because he is concerned of gang retaliation.
"A lady pulled me into the house and kept me from getting shot. I was outside standing there when the shooting started, but they weren’t shooting at me. They shot at people’s cars," Pearcy tells us.
Pearcy and his wife have lived in Hoffler Apartments for four years and are looking to move due to the uptick in crime.
"They come over here and kill somebody for nothing and don’t even know where they are shooting at. They shooting people’s cars up for no reason at all," Pearcy said.
The investigation remains ongoing at this time.
