NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - A Newport News man was arrested and charged with second-degree homicide after a shooting at a 7-Eleven in the 12400 block of Warwick Boulevard left a man dead from his injuries Friday evening.
News 3 reporter Kelsey Jones has been following the story since the shooting happened and spoke with the victim's best friend, who said 24-year-old Michael Faison, Jr. was at the gas station because he lives nearby.
Officers responded to the scene just after 5:30 p.m. The shooting happened near the campus of Christopher Newport University.
When they arrived, they found Faison suffering from what appeared to be life-threatening injuries. Police caught the suspect in less than 24 hours.
Faison's best friend, Rob Gordon, said without Faison, a piece of him is missing.
"I'm more numb than anything," Gordon said.
Gordon told News 3 Faison was more than a friend — he was family.
"There's no words to describe how the situation feels," Gordon said.
The shooting, all stemmed from an argument. According to Gordon, a witness at the scene told him they saw Faison and 28-year-old Divine Jackson arguing.
According to the witness, Faison called Jackson's girlfriend pretty, and everything spiraled. leading Jackson to shoot Faison in the face.
"Me and the family want to know why? That's the big question right now" Gordon said.
Gordon called Faison "Mikey" and says that he lit up every room that he walked in. Both friends and colleagues, he says Faison's bright light was dimmed way too soon.
"He was what the world needed, and the world wasn't ready for it," Gordon said.
A GoFundMe has been created by Faison's family to raise $100,000 to help them with funeral costs and medical bills.
"Yesterday there was still a glimmer of hope, but after last night he's gone," Gordon said.
Divine Jackson has been charged with second-degree homicide and using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Police say additional charges may be pending.
Faison was taken to a local hospital for treatment. He died from his injuries just before 10 p.m. Friday.
Jackson was arrested in the 600 block of Aqua Vista Drive following negotiations with a Newport News TAC unit. He's been charged with second-degree homicide and using a firearm in the commission of a felony; further charges may be pending.
We also caught up with a local woman who says she grew up going to the 7-Eleven where the shooting happened. She says she doesn't feel safe because of the uptick in crime across the area.
"I was coming out of the McDonald's on Warwick, and I did see a couple of undercover cop cars looking for the suspect," the woman said. "Recently, there has been a lot of violence going on in the area, so I wasn't surprised, but I do understand that I am not going back to the 7-Eleven anymore."
