NORFOLK, Va. — A brazen robbery at a Virginia Beach shopping center sadly turned into the shooting and killing of Annie Smith in 2021.
Two brothers, Darrius and Michael White, were found guilty for her murder.
Darrius White is serving life in prison while Michael White is serving 50 years.
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During Michael's sentencing hearing in December 2023, an investigator from the Chesapeake Police Department said the two stole Smith's gun during the incident.
The next day, the investigator said they then shot and killed another woman in Chesapeake named Pamela Schwartz.
"She was a really nice person," said a neighbor. "She didn't bother anybody. She basically stayed to herself."
Local law enforcement officers say stolen guns are a big problem.
A University of California Davis study analyzed more than 8 million gun sales records and found stolen guns were nine times more likely to be used in crimes.
Watch previous coverage: Brothers guilty of killing woman at Virginia Beach Harris Teeter accused in another murder
While the case involving the White brothers was a violent crime, researchers from Everytown for Gun Safety found cars are a big source of stolen guns.
"When you look at 2022, which is the most available data, we found that one gun was stolen from a car every nine minutes," said Sarah Burd-Sharps, senior director of research with Everytown.
Their research looked into FBI data and found the number of guns stolen out of cars is triple what it was a decade ago, whether it be someone leaving a gun in their car in their driveway or in some other way.
"Too many people are not locking their cars," said Burd-Sharps.
Their report found three Hampton Roads cities are in the top 25 nationwide for the highest rates of guns being stolen from cars: Norfolk, Portsmouth and Hampton.
Portsmouth, Norfolk and Hampton ranked sixth, ninth and 24th on the list, respectively.
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In addition, Richmond ranked fourth nationwide.
"Under Virginia law, a gun no matter what the worth when you steal it, it's a felony and people need to be aware of that," said Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi. "It's hugely irresponsible to leave guns in cars. It's terribly irresponsible."
Fatehi thinks Hampton Roads cities may be on the list because of Virginia's gun laws as well as the high number of people who may have a career where they carry a gun.
Virginia also has a law that says people could face a $250 fine if they don't report their gun as stolen or lost to police within 48 hours.
"I would expect that would drive up the number of guns that are reported stolen, which then could affect where we look in the rankings," he said.
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A bill that passed in the General Assembly this year would've taken things a step further and said people could face a $500 fine if they left their gun in their car and it was visible from the outside.
Gov. Youngkin vetoed the bill, saying it punishes the gun owner and not the person stealing a gun.
"It's like, what's the problem here? Is it really me or is it the person breaking into cars?" said Philip Van Cleave, the president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, who says the focus should be stiffer penalties for the ones stealing from cars. "Nobody should touch my car unless they're me or they have my permission. If they're touching it and going into it, they are violating the law. They are being criminals."
Fatehi stresses people need to be safely storing their guns and using gun locks and safes, saying, "Just because it's our constitutional right doesn't mean we have the right to be irresponsible."
