In the early morning hours of March 5, 2019, the life of 34-year-old Jermaine Marcus Iriarte was tragically cut short in a burst of violence at a Portsmouth, Virginia bar. The male victim was at the Cock Island Bar and Grille, located on Airline Boulevard, when he was shot in the upper body. The call came in to police at approximately 1:09 a.m., and upon their arrival, they found Iriarte suffering from a serious gunshot wound.
Despite the efforts of medics, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the homicide quickly pointed to a suspect. Within a couple of days, on March 7, 20-year-old Nicholas Kyle Moffitt was taken into custody by Portsmouth police. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in connection with Iriarte's death. The circumstances leading up to the fatal shooting were not immediately made public by the authorities.
As the investigation continued, police also announced that they were searching for a woman, Craiesha King, who they believed was connected to the shooting. Details of her potential involvement were not released. Investigators also looked into a possible second crime scene at a nearby 7-Eleven, believing it to be connected to the events that transpired at the bar. The community was left shaken by the incident, with some local business owners expressing their concerns about the recurring violence in the area.
