ROCKY MOUNT, Va. – A brother and sister face charges after a Rocky Mount man was shot and killed Monday night.
At approximately 7:40 p.m. Monday, officers were dispatched to calls of shots fired in the 100 block of Bland Street in the town of Rocky Mount.
Officers arrived two minutes later to find the victim, Tony Bruce, 26, who had been shot.
Bruce was taken to Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities arrested Kaniesha Shatae Hannon, 27, and Richard Lee Hannon Jr., 28, around dawn Tuesday morning in the Axton area of Henry County.
Kaniesha faces two counts of shooting into an occupied dwelling.
Richard faces a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Both are being held without bond at the Western Virginia Regional Jail.
Rocky Mount Police Department continues to collect evidence and interview potential witnesses.
Additional charges are pending as the investigation continues.
The victim's family has released a statement in response to a shooting that left a 26-year-old man dead.
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.
His 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."
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.
UPDATE
Rocky Mount police have made two arrests in a shooting that proved fatal.
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.
This marks the first adult homicide in Rocky Mount in over 20 years, according to Rocky Mount Police Chief Ken Criner.
Officers were dealing with heavy rain as they tried to gather evidence overnight and interview potential witnesses. They developed suspects in the case, who were found and arrested in Axton the next morning.
At this point in the investigation, police believe these people knew one another, and they do not have reason to think that there is an ongoing threat to the public.
The two people who were arrested are still being questioned, so police are not releasing their names yet.
An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.
“Our officers and investigators have performed outstanding work in investigating this crime against our community,” Criner said in a statement. “Many of them have been working for over 24 hours now as we work toward justice in this case.”
Anyone who witnessed the crime or who may have information relevant to the case should call Sgt. S.E. Richardson at the Rocky Mount Police Department, 540-483-9275.
ORIGINAL STORY
Officials say one person is in the hospital after a shooting in Franklin County.
The incident reportedly happened on Bland Street in Rocky Mount. There has been no word on the victim's condition.
10 News has a crew on the scene working to learn more information.
Stay with 10 News as this breaking news story develops.