18-year-old man charged with second-degree murder in connection with fatal Roanoke shooting

Authorities say the shooting happened in the 1600 block of Sigmon Road

ROANOKE, Va. – An 18-year-old man is facing a second-degree murder charge after a deadly shooting in Northwest Roanoke Monday night, according to the Roanoke Police Department.

At about 11:20 p.m., Roanoke Police were called to the 1600 block of Sigmon Road off Peters Creek for the report of a shooting.

Authorities arrived to find a man lying outside of the home who had been shot and said he was transported to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for the treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

While at the scene, officers also located an additional victim who had been critically injured in the shooting. The police department says the man did not survive the shooting and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Both victims’ identities have not yet been shared.

Officers say another man and woman were taken to the Roanoke Police Department for questioning. After investigating further, officers determined that the man, 18-year-old Ja’Zion Z. Robertson, of Roanoke, was the suspect involved in the shooting.

Robertson has been charged with second-degree murder and has been taken into custody without further incident. Authorities say additional charges may be pending on other involved individuals.

Roanoke Police believe that all individuals involved knew one another and said there is no additional threat to the public.

Interim Chief Stokes told 10 News most of the shootings his department investigates are not random.

“I would say about every one of them is about an issue between people or some time of dispute that escalates up,” Stokes said.

Neighbors said they were shocked to see this happen in their usually quiet and safe neighborhood, and Stokes said it seems no place in the city is free from gun violence.

“It wasn’t a typical quote area for this to occur, but frankly no area in the city is immune from incidents happening,” Stokes said.

According to our station’s gun violence tracker, this is the twelfth homicide in the city this year. Stokes said the city is beginning to see progress when it comes to combating crime, though.

“Overall violent crime is down around 9%, homicides are up a lot, there is no denying that,” he said.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 540-344-8500 and share what you know. You can also text the department at 274637; please begin the text with “RoanokePD” to ensure it’s properly sent. Both calls and texts can remain anonymous.


About the Authors

Jazmine Otey joined the 10 News team in February 2021.

Sydney joined the WSLS 10 News team in June 2021.

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