On a Tuesday evening in Norfolk, Virginia, on September 22, 2015, the life of 17-year-old Raheem J. White was tragically cut short. Raheem, a male senior at Norview High School with plans to graduate in 2016, was with relatives and friends in the 6100 block of Chesapeake Boulevard. The group had just been to a store to get snacks and were on their way back to White's home when gunshots rang out around 8:00 p.m. In the ensuing chaos, the group scattered for cover.
When his companions looked back, they found Raheem lying face down on the ground. He had sustained a gunshot wound and was rushed to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
In the wake of the shooting, Norfolk police quickly identified a suspect, 18-year-old Tyquon Feimster. A day after the incident, detectives announced they had secured warrants for Feimster's arrest on charges of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Feimster was taken into custody by the Norfolk Police Fugitive Squad. According to Raheem's cousins, they did not know Feimster, and they believed Raheem did not know him either, adding a layer of bewilderment to their grief. His family remembered him as a loving and funny young man who did not condone violence.
The legal proceedings against Tyquon Feimster ultimately concluded with a verdict that brought more pain to Raheem's grieving family. The prosecution's case heavily relied on the testimony of a close friend of Raheem's who claimed to have witnessed the shooting. However, inconsistencies in this witness's statements weakened the case. Feimster's defense presented an alibi with three witnesses who testified he was with them at the time of the shooting. Despite noted inconsistencies in their accounts as well, the jury determined that there was not enough evidence to prove Feimster's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. In April 2017, Tyquon Feimster was acquitted of all charges, leaving the murder of Raheem White officially unsolved and his family still searching for justice.
