On the evening of July 9, 2021, a 40-year-old man named Calvin Raymond Byas was fatally shot outside of his Norfolk, Virginia home. The tragic event unfolded in the presence of his wife. Emergency responders were called to the 7900 block of Old Ocean View Road around 11:30 p.m. for a report of a gunshot disturbance. They found Byas with a life-threatening gunshot wound and transported him to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. A hardworking co-owner of a pool installation company and a dedicated family man, Byas was known affectionately by friends and family as 'Poppy.' He was a father to five children and was remembered as the protector of his family.
The investigation into the senseless killing revealed that the perpetrator had been involved in another serious crime earlier the same day. The suspect, later identified as Antonio Lee Williams, had entered the La Botica Hispana #2 Latin Store on Chesapeake Boulevard and robbed two clerks at gunpoint, one of whom was pregnant. The motive for why Williams later targeted and killed Byas remained unclear throughout the investigation and subsequent legal proceedings. Police were able to identify Williams through surveillance footage that captured his vehicle, a red Ford Expedition, at the scene of another shooting incident and near the murder scene. A witness also provided authorities with the nickname 'Tone,' which led them to Williams.
Following an investigation, police located the suspect's vehicle in the early morning hours after the shooting. They surveilled the vehicle and arrested Antonio Lee Williams after he entered the car and began to drive away. Williams was subsequently charged in connection with the crime spree. In August 2023, a Norfolk jury found the 34-year-old guilty of second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of murder, armed robbery, the use of a firearm in the commission of a robbery, reckless handling of a firearm, and shooting in a public place.
On November 3, 2023, Antonio Lee Williams was sentenced in Norfolk Circuit Court. Judge Everett A. Martin Jr. handed down a sentence of 50 years in prison with five years suspended, resulting in an active sentence of 45 years. Williams will also have to complete 10 years of good behavior and will be on an indeterminate period of supervised probation upon his release. The conclusion of the court case brought some measure of closure to the family of Calvin Byas, though the reason for his sudden and violent death remains a mystery.
