NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — It all began as a missing persons case Wednesday for a missing 33-year-old woman, Norfolk Police said, but when officers followed up on Peterson Street, it had escalated into a much more dangerous situation — and now two people are dead.
A 38-year-old man refused to come out Thursday night, according to Norfolk Police, as neighbors try to understand how it all unfolded just a few doors away.
(WAVY viewer photos – Jeremy Jones)
Police were called to the 3900 block of Peterson Street, not far from Robin Hood Road, around 9:30 a.m. Thursday as part of an ongoing missing person investigation after the woman was reported missing the previous day.
When officers arrived, they tried to speak with a man who eventually barricaded himself inside of the home, leading to the Hostage/Crisis Negotiation Team and Special Operations Team being called for assistance.
Drones were seen in the air at the scene, and police could be heard saying over an intercom, “Come out with your hands up.”
Around 1 a.m. following a negotiation, the man was found inside the home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The man was then taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Inside of the home, officers found the woman suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound. The woman was later pronounced dead at the scene.
“I’m sad about that, because I wish … he could have gotten out and at least gone to jail,” said neighbor Lavonte Saunders. “At least keep your life.”
A man who was stuck inside his home said police were not letting anyone come or go from the area. He said the house that the barricade situation happened at is only a few houses down from his.
“They’ve got a SWAT vehicle parked in his front yard,” said Jeremy Jones. “They have already pushed the door open with some kind of battering ram on the SWAT vehicle. They sent in a robot, they sent in multiple drones and apparently, as of right now, talking to him on the loudspeaker, they have asked him to put down the guns and come downstairs and come outside”
Witnesses said that at one point, family was even called in to try to get the man to come out.
“And then they sent a drone in there, and they kept telling him to put his hands up and come out,” said resident John Jones. “And they did verify that he had weapons.”
After more than 16 hours of negotiations, officers made entry, and they found the man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was rushed to the hospital, where he later died. The missing woman was also inside, having suffered from a life-threatening gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
While police said she had been missing since Wednesday, neighbors said word had already started to spread that something was wrong just days before the barricade-hostage situation.
“The friend of the girl that lived there was the one that was concerned because she hadn’t heard from her since Monday,” Jones said. “She didn’t show up for work, or any of that. So she just wanted to call the police for a wellness check.”
Authorities said the cause and manner of both deaths are undetermined. The medical examiner is conducting autopsies.