MARTINSVILLE (WSLS) -
Martinsville police say the man wanted in connection to Sunday's double homicide turned himself in Thursday.
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Parnell Markese Rucker, 20, of Martinsville was wanted on two counts of first degree murder and two counts of use of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Police said they are still investigating several possible motives as to why he shot and killed Julius Giggetts, 32, and Orlando Akridge, 30, both of Martinsville.
"[The] investigation revealed there was a party in the 600 block of Forest Street and an altercation took place between two individuals, not the victims. Around 1:45 the individuals involved in the earlier altercation, along with the suspects and the victims in this case, arrived on Park Street," said Lt. Mark Gilbert, Criminal Investigations Unit.
Police said during that time things got escalated and shots were fired. They said the incident was not a drive-by shooting. On Wednesday, investigators said they developed enough probable cause to charge Rucker in the shootings.
Officers said they were called to the intersection of Park Street and Elwood Avenue on Sunday, October 12, 2014, around 1:50 a.m in response to a shots fired call.
Upon arrival, they discovered Giggetts and Akridge deceased from gunshot wounds. A third adult victim was treated and released from Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police say.
Neighbors in the area tell WSLS they're used to seeing street fights in the neighborhood, while others said they're concerned to walk home from work after dark.
They hope the community can come together to curb the number of people dying from gun violence. Neighbors said the victims' family members were very upset.
"They were trying to cross the tape and telling law-enforcement to clean it up. It was horrible," neighbor Tanya Lilly said.
Tanya Lilly lives only two homes away from where the shooting happened. Lilly said she heard 10 shots while watching a movie last night and knew something was wrong.
"Devastated me. I mean, I couldn't even walk out here at first. When I walked out here....it shattered my nerves. This is by far the worst I've ever experienced," Lilly said.
City data.com is a website that tracks crime rates and Spencer 2000 murders have been on the decline.
Orlando Akridge's friend, Chad Martin, said it's a sad day when you lose people involved in a shooting.
"We lost human beings in the world and so I think churches need to come out together to have something positive come out of this," Martin said.