On a Friday evening in Norfolk, Virginia, the life of 29-year-old White male Ernesto W. Crespo was tragically cut short. Shortly before 7:00 p.m. on October 12, 2018, dispatchers received several calls reporting the sound of gunshots in the 100 block of W. Ocean Avenue. When police officers arrived at the scene, they discovered Crespo outside with fatal gunshot wounds. Paramedics pronounced him deceased at the location. A Navy veteran and father of three, Crespo was reportedly with his children at the time of the shooting.
The investigation quickly led police to a vehicle that matched the description of the suspect's car. This vehicle was located in the 8700 block of Commodore Drive, just a few minutes away from the scene of the shooting. The car was traced to 22-year-old Robert J. Dabney, who was found to be inside a nearby home. Members of the Norfolk Police Negotiation Team attempted to make contact with Dabney, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
Following a prolonged standoff, the situation came to a grim conclusion. Around 12:25 p.m. the next day, Saturday, October 13th, police found Dabney dead inside the residence. His body was subsequently taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine the official cause of death. Authorities did not release a motive or the specific circumstances that led to the deadly incident. Friends and family remembered Ernesto Crespo, a graduate of Granby High School who enlisted in the U.S. Navy, as a polite, humble, and non-confrontational man devoted to his family.
