On a summer evening in Rocky Mount, Virginia, the life of 26-year-old Tony Dimitri Bruce was cut short by gunfire. On June 17, 2019, at approximately 7:40 p.m., police responded to calls of shots fired in the 100 block of Bland Street. Upon arrival, they discovered Bruce suffering from a gunshot wound. He was quickly transported to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.
This tragic event marked the first homicide in Rocky Mount in over two decades.
The investigation swiftly led to the identification of two suspects, a brother and sister from Martinsville. The day after the shooting, Kaniesha Shatae Hannon, 27, and Richard Lee Hannon Jr., 28, were apprehended in Axton. Initially, Kaniesha Hannon was charged with two counts of shooting into an occupied dwelling, and Richard Hannon Jr. was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Both were held without bond at the Western Virginia Regional Jail. Authorities indicated that the individuals involved were known to each other and that there was no ongoing threat to the public.
Further investigation into the death of Tony Bruce continued, and in May 2021, the case saw a significant development. Richard Lee Hannon Jr. was taken into custody by a Virginia State Police SWAT team following a brief standoff at a residence in Martinsville. This arrest was made on a warrant for homicide in connection with Bruce's death.
