Dequante Travell Roney was a 30-year-old Black man from Prince George County, Virginia. He was one of two men who lost their lives after gunfire erupted at a house party in the summer of 2024. The other victim was 23-year-old Damonye Lamont Taylor of Hopewell.
In the early hours of Sunday, July 21, 2024, a party was underway in the 300 block of North Radford Drive in Hopewell. Just before 3:35 a.m., neighbors heard what sounded like eight or nine gunshots, followed by a woman’s scream. When Hopewell Police officers arrived, they found a chaotic scene and two men suffering from gunshot wounds. Damonye Taylor was pronounced dead at the scene. Dequante Roney was transported to a local hospital, but he died from his injuries.
According to police reports, the officers who first responded were met by a large and hostile crowd. The situation grew so tense that the crowd reportedly turned on the officers, who had to call for mutual aid from other law enforcement agencies.
Police later stated that individuals at the scene interfered with the investigation and attempted to prevent officers from rendering aid to the victims.
The Hopewell Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit launched a double homicide investigation. In the weeks that followed, two arrests were made. One week after the shooting, police arrested Razzaq Fard Martin, a 30-year-old from Chesterfield, and charged him with felony tampering with evidence. On August 9, authorities arrested 26-year-old Ronnie Harold Monroe Jr. of Hopewell on charges of felony assault on a law enforcement officer and tampering with evidence.
Hopewell Police have explicitly stated that neither Martin nor Monroe Jr. have been charged in connection with the deaths of Dequante Roney and Damonye Taylor. As of August 2024, the double homicide investigation remains open and unsolved. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Solvers at (804) 541-2202.
