PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Portsmouth Police Department need the public’s help in finding a person of interest in a homicide case.
Detectives with the Major Crime Unit are searching for Keonte Deshawn Knight, 24, of Suffolk. Investigators need Knight for questioning related to the Jan. 6 homicide of Brent Hargraves, 36. Knight is a person of interest; there are no charges at this time.
On Jan. 6, officers were called to the 10 block of Calvin Street in Portsmouth in response to a gunshot wound. When officers arrived to the scene, Hargraves was found unresponsive in a crashed vehicle. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Hargrave’s uncle, Bilal Muhammad, a well-known community activist, shared his reaction to a person of interest being named, with 10 On Your Side.
“I remember Brent as a little boy when he was born, and so this is very touching, but this is a happy day, this is a happy day and we are very glad,” Muhammad said.
Muhammad is no stranger to the impacts of gun violence, as he still mourns the loss of his own son, who was murdered. Now their family is mourning the loss of their nephew. Muhammad said he hopes Knight can be brought in for questioning.
“If you know where this young man is located, Mr. Knight, please, please notify the authorities,” Muhammad said. “We’re asking the community to work with us, bridge this gap with us, help support the community.
“We’re asking the community, value human life. value human life. You got a problem? Let’s talk about it. We are losing — losing our future, losing a father, losing a child. We are losing a human being that could be of great value to the city of Norfolk, to the Hampton Roads area and to America.”
The investigation is ongoing.
If you have any information about this case, you can submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-888-LOCK-U-UP, downloading the P3 tips app to a mobile device, or visiting www.P3tips.com and submitting a tip.