In Richmond, Virginia, the life of 43-year-old Terrence Lamont Smith, known affectionately as 'Chef Teezo,' was cut short by gun violence on Sunday, May 18, 2025. Emergency services were dispatched to the 1300 block of Coalter Street in the city's East End following reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they discovered Smith inside an apartment, suffering from a gunshot wound.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Born in New York City, Smith had a lifelong passion for cooking, a dream that he nurtured from a young age. This passion led him to become a well-known chef in the local Richmond restaurant community. Aspiring to one day own his own restaurant or food truck, he started a catering business called 'A Taste of Harlem,' a nod to his birthplace. Beyond his culinary pursuits, Smith was also working towards obtaining his Commercial Driver's License and was employed at Alfa Laval as a custom builder of heat exchangers. He was remembered by friends and family as a man with a big heart, who was kind, loving, funny, and fiercely protective of his family. He leaves behind three young daughters. As of now, details regarding any arrests or suspects in connection with his death have not been publicly released as the investigation remains ongoing.
In a separate and unrelated case, the remains of another man named Terrence Smith were discovered under suspicious circumstances in Spotsylvania County, near Richmond. Terrence Darryl Smith, a 33-year-old from New York, had traveled to Virginia to visit a female acquaintance on October 28, 2023. He was last seen in the Timber Ridge area of Spotsylvania County on that day. After he failed to return to New York and his family was unable to contact him, he was reported missing on November 1, 2023.
The investigation into his disappearance led detectives to discover his skeletal remains on November 16, 2023, in a wooded area not far from the home of the acquaintance he had been visiting. Adding to the mysterious nature of his death, Smith's family reported that his bank account had been emptied during his time in Virginia. While the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office is actively investigating his death, a cause of death has not yet been determined, and no information regarding suspects or arrests has been released.
