In the early morning of March 21, 2018, the quiet of the 700 block of C Avenue in Norfolk, Virginia, was shattered by the sound of gunfire. Responding to a call shortly after 9:35 a.m., police officers arrived to a grim scene. Outside a residence, they discovered the body of 52-year-old William James White, Jr., a male resident of Norfolk. He had sustained apparent gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene by medics.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting were not immediately clear as the homicide investigation commenced.
The investigation into William White's death progressed over the following days. Initially, Norfolk Police had not released any information regarding a potential suspect and appealed to the public for any information that could lead to an arrest. The breakthrough in the case came ten days later. On March 31, 2018, authorities arrested 38-year-old Akeis Rolax in connection with the fatal shooting.
Following his arrest, Akeis Rolax was charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He was subsequently held at the Norfolk City Jail without bond. The arrest brought a measure of resolution to the initial phase of the investigation into the violent death of William James White, Jr., though the motive behind the tragic incident was not publicly disclosed at the time of the arrest.
