In the quiet city of Hopewell, Virginia, the life of 17-year-old Orlando Monroe Jr. was tragically cut short on the evening of Thursday, February 3, 2022. Just after 8 p.m., the sound of gunfire shattered the peace in the 800 block of Spruce Street. When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered an unresponsive male suffering from what appeared to be gunshot wounds. Despite the efforts of Hopewell Fire and EMS, Orlando Monroe Jr. was pronounced deceased at the scene.
An extensive investigation into the shooting homicide was launched by the Hopewell Police Department's Criminal Investigations Unit. Their efforts quickly identified a suspect: 18-year-old Keymonte Bland-White. Authorities described Bland-White as a Black male, 5'10' and weighing 155 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was considered armed and extremely dangerous, with known ties to the cities of Petersburg and Norfolk. Warrants were issued for his arrest on multiple charges, including First-Degree Murder, two counts of Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony, Reckless Handling of a Firearm, Discharging a Firearm in Public, Attempted Malicious Wounding, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
The manhunt for Keymonte Bland-White came to a somber end on the morning of Saturday, February 5, 2022. At approximately 6:50 a.m., Petersburg Police responded to a call about a possible suicide in the 1000 block of W. Wythe Street in Petersburg. Inside a vacant house, they found Bland-White deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. A weapon was recovered at the scene. While the primary suspect in Orlando Monroe Jr.'s murder was deceased, the Hopewell Police continued their investigation to determine a motive and if any other individuals were involved in the tragic death of the young man.
