On a late afternoon in Newport News, Virginia, the life of 28-year-old Kevin Anthony Jackson, a Black male, was cut tragically short. It was just before 5 p.m. on September 15, 2016, when gunfire erupted at the intersection of Chestnut Avenue and Briarfield Road. Jackson was behind the wheel of his pick-up truck when he was struck by the bullets. The vehicle continued to travel down Chestnut Avenue before crashing into a tree.
Residents in the area rushed to the scene to render aid to
the driver. One neighbor recounted hearing about five shots in a span of twenty seconds before the sound of the crash. Witnesses found Jackson unresponsive and stayed with him, with one person checking for a pulse and another holding his head and praying, until paramedics arrived. Despite their efforts and being transported to a local hospital, Jackson succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. His father and stepmother, who arrived at the scene later, described him as a good man and a good father.
The investigation into the shooting quickly led Newport News police to a suspect. Five days after the fatal shooting, on September 20, 2016, authorities arrested 24-year-old Cortez Bumphus. 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 in connection with the death of Kevin Anthony Jackson.
