Rahiem “Rah” Bailey, 29, a Black man from Chesapeake, was found dead in Norfolk on the evening of February 26, 2012, his life ending in a burst of violence that investigators would later describe as tied to a robbery. It happened in the Ballentine-area streets, where police were called to the 2200 block of Keller Avenue and discovered his body around 6:15 p.m., sealing off the scene as neighbors tried to make sense of what had unfolded in their midst.
As the hours turned into days, detectives worked the case and soon said they had identified two suspects. Warrants were issued for murder, robbery, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony for Andreyus McGee, 20, and Kevin Garner, 23. McGee turned himself in and was taken into custody, while police continued searching for Garner and warned that he should be considered dangerous.
Beyond the crime scene tape and the urgent manhunt, there was also the quieter story of who Bailey had been before the last, brutal evening. In the days after his death, loved ones prepared to say goodbye, describing him as “Rah,” a screen printer who worked for Art Fax Screening & Printing. A homegoing celebration was planned for the morning of March 5, 2012, at New Hope Church of God in Christ on Brest Avenue in Norfolk—a final gathering meant to hold grief, memory, and the kind of love that still shows up even when the answers don’t.
