In the early morning hours of September 26, 2021, the city of Portsmouth, Virginia, was disturbed by an incident that initially appeared to be a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Lansing Avenue and Randolph Street. Responding officers, however, soon discovered a more grim reality. Inside one of the vehicles were two men who had been shot. One of them, 38-year-old Aaron Harris, was already deceased from a fatal gunshot wound. The other man, 55-year-old Tony Palmer, was found with critical injuries. He was rushed to a local hospital for emergency medical treatment, but tragically, he succumbed to his injuries and passed away.
The investigation into the double homicide led the Portsmouth Police Department to identify a person of interest in the case. Detectives sought to speak with 27-year-old Duquan Shaquille Johnson regarding the shooting deaths of Palmer and Harris. Johnson voluntarily went to the police station to be interviewed by investigators. Following the interview, the investigation had progressed to a point where Johnson was officially named as the suspect in the killings.
As a result of the investigation, Duquan Shaquille Johnson was arrested and faced a series of serious charges. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Tony Palmer and Aaron Harris. In addition to the murder charges, he was also charged with two counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and a charge of shooting to commit or attempt a felony. The case against Johnson proceeded through the legal system, but in November 2024, a significant development occurred when a mistrial was declared due to issues with the jury. This has delayed the final legal resolution for the deaths of Tony Palmer and Aaron Harris.
