On a tragic Friday night in Martinsville, Virginia, what began as a dispute inside a local restaurant escalated into a violent exchange of gunfire, leaving 33-year-old Shavon Lamont Reid, a Black male, and another man dead. The incident, which unfolded on February 5, 2021, at the El Norteno restaurant, sent shockwaves through the community and launched a major police investigation.
The evening's warmth was shattered around 10:30 p.m.
when an argument broke out in the bar area among several patrons. The disagreement quickly spiraled out of control, leading to a shooting inside the establishment. In the initial burst of violence, Shavon Lamont Reid and 23-year-old Keilo Anton Martin were fatally wounded. They were found deceased by Martinsville Police officers who were the first to arrive at the chaotic scene.
The violence was not contained within the restaurant walls. It spilled out into the parking lot where two armed men were seen firing at a third individual. A nearby Martinsville Police officer on patrol heard the gunshots and responded immediately. The officer engaged the gunmen, striking one of them. The two armed men then retreated back into the restaurant, where a tense situation unfolded with approximately a dozen patrons and 20 employees still inside. Law enforcement from multiple agencies, including the Virginia State Police and the Henry County Sheriff's Office, converged on the scene to secure the restaurant and safely evacuate those trapped inside. Two other men were also found with gunshot wounds and were transported to a hospital for treatment of their injuries.
In the days that followed, the Virginia State Police identified and charged two suspects in connection with the deadly shooting. Jamal Emun Jenkins, 24, of Collinsville, was charged with first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and willful discharge of a firearm in a public place resulting in death. Rosario Nasiar Eggleston, 20, of Martinsville, faced charges of aggravated malicious wounding, conspiracy to commit aggravated malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and willful discharge of a firearm in a public place.
However, the legal proceedings took a turn in July 2021 when a grand jury did not indict Jamal Jenkins on the charges, leading to his release. The case against Rosario Eggleston continued, with a trial date set for March 2022 where he was expected to plead not guilty. While online sources do not provide a specific verdict for this trial, later reports from a separate arrest in May 2024 identify Eggleston as a 'violent convicted felon,' though it is not explicitly stated if this conviction stems from the El Norteno shooting incident. In the 2024 incident, Eggleston was charged with malicious wounding and multiple firearms offenses in connection with a shooting at another Martinsville establishment.
