In the early hours of April 9, 2017, the life of 34-year-old Maurice Anthony Gore was tragically cut short in Portsmouth, Virginia. Police responded to a call for medical assistance at approximately 2:12 a.m. in the 2300 block of Charleston Avenue. Upon their arrival, they discovered Gore suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Despite the efforts of medics, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Another man was also injured in the shooting but sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The investigation into the death of the male victim led detectives to identify a suspect, Kevin L. Howell, who was 34 years old at the time. Howell, an acquaintance of Gore since their high school days, was taken into custody by Portsmouth police on April 19, 2017. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
During the subsequent legal proceedings, prosecutors presented the case as an execution-style shooting that occurred during an after-hours party. The medical examiner's report revealed that Gore had been shot 12 times, with one of the bullets striking the back of his head. The extensive gunfire caused devastating damage to numerous vital organs. Howell maintained that he acted in self-defense, a claim the jury ultimately rejected.
In April 2018, Kevin Howell was convicted of first-degree murder and the illegal use of a firearm. The court proceedings also brought to light that this was not Howell's first involvement in a fatal shooting; twelve years prior, he had been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the accidental death of another friend. For the murder of Maurice Gore, Howell was sentenced to life in prison, with an additional three years for the firearm charge. At the time of his death, Gore was a father of two children and was in the process of establishing his own landscaping business.
