On New Year's Day in 2015, a fatal shooting in Newport News, Virginia, resulted in the death of 23-year-old Jerrod Ramone Reid. The incident occurred in the evening at a BP gas station on Warwick Boulevard. Reid was discovered with a gunshot wound and was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Witnesses at the scene provided police with a description of a person of interest and a possible vehicle involved in the shooting.
Shortly after, a police officer spotted a vehicle matching the description and a pursuit ensued, crossing into the city of Hampton. The chase ended when the suspect vehicle crashed in a neighborhood, and two individuals fled on foot.
Following further investigation, homicide detectives identified a suspect. On January 7, 2015, six days after the shooting, police arrested 28-year-old Rishaud Vannoy Ben Powell at his home in Newport News. He was charged with murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Over four years later, in March 2019, Rishaud Powell was convicted of second-degree murder and use of a firearm for his role in Jerrod Reid's death. A jury recommended a sentence of 18 years in prison, allocating 13 years for the murder conviction and five years for the firearms charge. The Newport News Police Chief commended the homicide detectives, the Commonwealth's Attorney, and the citizen who came forward with information that was critical to the investigation, hoping the outcome would bring some measure of closure to Reid's family.
