Neighbors, family react after 26-year-old killed in Rocky Mount shooting

ROCKY MOUNT, Va. – Neighbors and family members are reacting after a 26-year-old man was shot dead in Rocky Mount. 

Officers responded to a shots fired call around 7:40 p.m. Monday on Bland Street. When they arrived, they found 26-year-old Tony Dimitri Bruce, who had been shot. 

Emergency crews took Bruce to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. 

The full statement is below: 

He leaves behind a devoted and loving girlfriend and 2 kids.  He has always worked and paid for what he wanted.   We the family is at a lost for words right now that all this has occurred. We commended the Rocky Mount & Henry Sheriffs Offices and all other law enforcement officials for working in a timely manner to apprehend the suspects. We also thank all the Hospital staff for their services.

Bruce's uncle said Bruce is from Martinsville but was living in Rocky Mount. Neighbors are still shaken up from the scary situation.

"I was sitting in the house at my desk and my daughter was on the couch right next to the wall where everything happened," said one neighbor, who did not want to release their identity. 

The neighbor let 10 News inside his home to show us what he says are holes from where the bullets came through his kitchen wall.

"I initially heard one gunshot. Then two more."

He was able to move his family to safety.


About the Authors:

Irisha joined the WSLS news team in January 2017 after spending four years as a reporter in Georgia.