PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A person of interest in a Portsmouth shooting that left a man dead has been arrested, according to police.
“I just want justice to be served," said the victim's mother, Vontrese Rodgers, at a news conference March 30.
Marquise Riddick-Whitfield, 23, was arrested April 1 and charged with the following, according to police: aggravated murder, attempted robbery, use of a firearm, shooting in committing or attempting a felony, and shooting with intent to maim or kill.
Crime
Armed robbery ends in homicide in Portsmouth, suspect identified: police
Police say they were in the 200 block of Dale Drive around 11 p.m. March 29 when they heard gunshots. Police say shortly after, they found a man who had been shot, who they later identified as 28-year-old Daniel Rodgers.
Rodgers did not survive, police say.
WATCH: Mother grieves after deadly Portsmouth shooting claims the life of her youngest child
Police named Riddick-Whitfield as a person of interest shortly after the shooting.
Court documents say Riddick-Whitfield turned himself in on a shoplifting charge.
News 3 was unable to reach Rodgers’ mother for comment about the arrest.
Court documents say when the suspect turned himself in, he was wearing the same clothes as in the video. Finally, the documents say the 23-year-old "verified his location during the shooting” and has a criminal record dating back to 2019.
As of April 2, Portsmouth Police were asking the public for help identifying two unknown suspects – both male – who appear in the surveillance video of the shooting.
Portsmouth Police Chief Stephen Jenkins said at the news conference March 30 the area where the shooting happened is a problem area for the city.
“We work very closely with our city officials, with the PRHA director, to address the issues that are out there," Jenkins emphasized. "We are pouring everything we have as a police department, not only leaning on our state partners but our federal partners for additional resources for whatever we can do to be able to address situations like this.”
“It’s a lot of the younger generation that’s depleting, and for random things that don’t really make sense," Rodgers said. "This has to stop and it has to stop now."
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Portsmouth police at 757-393-8536 or the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
Stay with News 3 for updates.
