Man charged with murder in shooting outside Virginia bar
(NewsNation) — A 24-year-old Virginia man was arrested two months after a shooting in downtown Norfolk left three dead and two others injured, police announced Wednesday.
The three victims in the March 19 shooting were Norfolk resident Sierra Jenkins, a 25-year-old reporter for The Virginian-Pilot; Devon M. Harris, also 25; and Marquel S. Andrews, 24, of Portsmouth.
Antoine M. Legrande Jr. was arrested Tuesday without incident by the U.S. Marshals Task Force and the Norfolk Police Department, NewsNation local affiliate WAVY reported. Legrande, who was in possession of a gun at the time of the arrest, is charged with three counts of second-degree murder, two counts of malicious wounding and firearms charges.
“Today’s announcement is an important first step in providing justice for the families of these three innocent victims,” Norfolk City Manager Chip Filer said in a statement.
Police Chief Michael Goldsmith said “countless hours” of interviews and forensic investigation went into the case.
Police initially said a spilled drink launched an argument that caused the shooting. But Sierra Jenkins’ father, Maurice Jenkins, told the Virginian-Pilot that he still has questions.
“I don’t believe that’s really what this is about,” Jenkins said to the newspaper. “I won’t be surprised if we start hearing that there’s a lot more to what caused this to happen.”
Still, Jenkins was heartened by the arrest.
“For our family, going through what we’re going through — two months without knowing who’s behind something like this — it’s eating us up,” he told the Virginian-Pilot.
In the weeks following the shooting, WAVY reported that city leaders moved to increase security in downtown Norfolk. This included stricter code enforcement for businesses and the addition of mobile security cameras.