Tony L. Camarillo, a 31-year-old man from Norfolk, Virginia, was fatally shot on the evening of August 12, 2026, in the Ghent neighborhood of Norfolk. At about 8:10 p.m., Norfolk police were dispatched to Colley Avenue near Spotswood Avenue after receiving a report of a gunshot victim. Officers found Camarillo suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound. Emergency personnel transported him to a local hospital, but he died from his injuries.
Police quickly characterized the killing as a domestic-related shooting and opened a homicide investigation.
The circumstances surrounding Camarillo’s final evening made the killing especially devastating to those who knew him. Camarillo was an entrepreneur, musician and filmmaker who had become involved in Hampton Roads' creative community. He and his partner, Jaida Garrison, had co-produced a short film titled “Gallery of Nightmares” for the Hampton Roads 48 Hour Film Project. That night, they were making their way to the Naro theater, where their film was scheduled to be screened, when the shooting occurred. Film-project producer Jeannette Rainey said Camarillo had been part of the local filmmaking community for only about a year but had already made a significant impression on other artists and storytellers. Friends also described him as devoted to his three children and deeply involved in music, filmmaking and other creative projects.
Garrison later told local news reporters that she was present when Camarillo was shot. According to her account, she heard the gunfire, saw Camarillo collapse and remained with him afterward. She identified her former partner, Skyler Brock, as the person she believed had shot Camarillo. Garrison said she and Brock share a child and alleged that Brock had continued contacting her after their relationship ended. She told reporters she believed jealousy and Brock's difficulty accepting that she had moved on may have contributed to what happened. Norfolk police themselves have publicly described the case as domestic-related but have not released a detailed official account of the motive, so Garrison's description of the events and her explanation for the alleged motive remain her witness account.
Authorities soon identified Skyler Ray Brock of Seaford as the suspect they were seeking. The investigation expanded from Norfolk into York County after law enforcement used Flock license-plate-camera information to locate a vehicle associated with Brock at a residence on Seaford Road. York-Poquoson sheriff's deputies, assisted by Newport News police, searched the property the morning after the killing but did not locate Brock. A shelter-in-place advisory was temporarily issued in the Seaford area during law-enforcement activity. Camarillo's sister, Lexi Camarillo, later told reporters that Brock had allegedly threatened her brother on previous occasions, while Garrison said she had obtained a protective order against Brock in February 2025. Those statements were reported as accounts from Camarillo's family and Garrison rather than as conclusions publicly announced by investigators.
As the search continued, authorities reported that a vehicle connected to Brock had been found abandoned in Seaford. Multiple agencies became involved in trying to locate him, and the U.S. Marshals Service eventually joined the fugitive investigation. By August 25, Brock had been formally charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Federal authorities described him as potentially armed and dangerous and offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to his arrest. A U.S. Marshals wanted notice indicated that Brock had last been seen in the Seaford area on August 12.
The killing also sent shock through Norfolk's arts community. Friends gathered for a vigil a week after Camarillo's death, remembering someone they said had a gift for bringing people together through music, film and art. Jonathan Ramirez, one of Camarillo's friends, was nearby after the shooting and said he and others attempted to help until paramedics arrived. Camarillo's mother, Rosemary Contreras, remembered her son as someone who had been performing and creating since childhood and said his artistic interests eventually grew into music, acting, visual art and filmmaking. Friends also began discussing ways to preserve and complete some of the creative work he had left behind.
As of August 25, 2026, Brock remained a fugitive and no arrest had been announced. Because he had not been taken into custody, the case had not reached a trial or conviction. The second-degree murder and firearm counts against him remained criminal allegations awaiting adjudication, while Norfolk police, the York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals Service continued seeking information that could lead investigators to his location.
