NORFOLK, Va. - It took a jury about two hours to find Kimahni Lankford not guilty on Thursday on charges he faced in connection to a shooting that injured five people including a child in 2020.
"We wanted to win. We're disappointed we didn't, but we did the right thing," Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi told News 3 on Friday.
The shooting happened in front of a group of people, Fatehi said, but only one witness came forward to testify against Lankford during the trial and that witness only came forward once they were in legal trouble themselves.
"It's a lesson to folks that if you really want to help the community if you really want to do that, come forward at a point when a jury will accept that you're coming forward because you want to do the right thing," he said.
Fatehi's office begins the new year with a high-profile case ending in a not-guilty verdict, but notes two other cases that ended in guilty verdicts Thursday, including a violent felon possessing a gun.
"We are doing the people's work when we have the evidence when the witnesses come forward. When we're able to put on what a jury needs to convict, we get the convictions that we need to get," he said.
The year 2022 saw other high-profile cases face challenges in court. In September, a jury found Rashad Dooley not guilty of murder, but guilty of three other charges, including conspiracy to commit murder.
In November,charges were dropped against a man who was accused of opening fire on Granby Street, killing three people.
"People are scared to come forward. People are afraid and that is why for years I have advocated for witness protection," Fatehi said.
While there have been setbacks, Fatehi says his office will continue to press on in the New Year.
"The police can't arrest people they can't identify. We can't prosecute the people the police arrest without the cooperation of the community," he said.
