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Man charged in Norfolk murder: ‘I’m innocent and I didn’t have nothing to do with it’

Posted at 8:01 PM, Apr 22, 2016
and last updated 2016-04-26 07:14:00-04

NORFOLK, Va. - Police have made an arrest in the Friday night murder of a Norfolk man.

Lawrence Brown (Photo Courtesy: Norfolk Police)

Lawrence Brown (Photo Courtesy: Norfolk Police)

Lawrence Brown, 26, is charged with second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and attempted malicious wounding.

Police say Brown was arrested Saturday in Norfolk without incident.

He's charged in connection to the death of 34-year-old Deandre Raynor. From jail, Brown said he didn't kill Raynor and he doesn't know who did. "I'm innocent and I didn't have nothing to do with it," he said.

Officers were initially called to the area of Fremont Street and O'Keefe Street on a report of shots fired around 7 p.m.

This incident is not related to an earlier barricade situation nearby, but police were actively negotiating with that individual when this incident happened.

When police arrived to the scene at Fremont Street, they saw Raynor lying on the ground with a gunshot wound.

Meanwhile, police say a 45-year-old man was standing nearby armed with a gun.  Police say an officer confronted, then shot him.

Police have not identified the man who was shot, but friends say it was Deandre's older brother.

He was taken to a hospital and has since been released.  It's unclear what caused an officer to shoot him.

Brown is currently in Norfolk City Jail, held without bond. He says the shooting happened after a fist fight he got into with Raynor, but that he didn't shoot him.

"I didn't do anything wrong."

Virginia State Police are handling the officer-involved shooting investigation at the request of the Norfolk Police chief.

The Norfolk chapter of the NAACP says getting Virginia State Police involved shows Norfolk Police are being transparent.

"For the chief of police to reach out to the to the state police, which is a neutral third party, to do an investigation of  his officers is a good step toward showing that he wants to be transparent and want to build trust with citizens of Norfolk," Richard James, Norfolk NAACP Chairman of Legal Redress, said.

The NAACP is trying to help police get a handle on the  constant violence.

They've started a hotline to assist police.

You can contact them confidentially at (757) 749-3398 or (757) 692-9222.