In the early morning hours of October 6, 2013, just two days shy of his 30th birthday, Torrey Smith, a 29-year-old Black male, was found shot to death in the 2800 block of Parkside Drive in Chesapeake, Virginia. Chesapeake police officers responded to a call around 5:50 a.m. and discovered Smith, a resident of Norfolk, with a fatal gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Smith, a merchant mariner and a graduate of Booker T.
Washington High School, was remembered by friends and family as a beloved father, brother, and friend with a giving and welcoming soul.
The investigation quickly led police to a suspect, 22-year-old Laquan Wright. Authorities determined that Wright, who was paralyzed and used a wheelchair, was a friend of Smith's. The motive for the tragic shooting was revealed to be a domestic issue; Wright had discovered Smith was romantically involved with his mother. On the night of the incident, Wright returned home from a birthday party for Smith to find him with his mother, which led to the fatal confrontation.
Following the shooting, an investigation led by the Chesapeake Police and the U.S. Marshals tracked Wright to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he was taken into custody without incident. Wright was extradited back to Virginia to face charges. He was subsequently convicted in Circuit Court of first-degree murder and the use of a handgun in the commission of a felony. A jury recommended a sentence of life in prison plus three years, along with a $75,000 fine, a recommendation that was imposed by the judge.
