Three people arrested in deadly weekend shootings in Petersburg, Chesterfield County
All of the suspects arrested in the unrelated shootings are teenagers, authorities said. The two Chesterfield suspects are juveniles.
Bill AtkinsonPolice in Petersburg and Chesterfield County have made arrests in separate shootings Saturday that left two people dead.
In Petersburg, police arrested Delvin Mitchell, 19, on counts of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He is charged with killing 19-year-old Toni Knight, Saturday as she carried groceries to her residence in the ArtistSpace Lofts apartment complex in downtown Petersburg. Police said Mitchell and an unidentified juvenile were also shot in what appeared to be a gun battle early Saturday afternoon at the complex. The juvenile, a girl, was treated at a local hospital and released.
An investigation into the death is ongoing, Deputy Police Chief Emanuel Chambliss said.
It is the 11th homicide in Petersburg this year.
Knight's mother, Diane Branzelle, has started a GoFundMe account to cover her daughter's funeral expenses.
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In Chesterfield, two juveniles ages 17 and 15 are being held at the county detention home for allegedly killing a 16-year-old youth late Saturday night in the bathroom of the Cultural Center of India on Ironbridge Parkway in Chester. The victim, who police said was acquainted with the suspects and was the intended target, was attending a party at the center when he was killed.
An off-duty Chesterfield County sheriff's deputy was working security at the event, police said. While initially checking out the incident, the deputy confronted and then shot an individual who was displaying a handgun at the scene. Police later said that person was neither of the teen suspects arrested.
No one else at the party was injured.
Both suspects face charges of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Because of their ages, the suspects have not been identified, and the charges brought against them at the current time are called juvenile "petitions." The victim of the shooting also has not been identified yet.
More news from The Progress-Index:
- ArtistSpace Lofts project vision comes to life in the heart of Petersburg, Va.
- Fort Lee says revamped Lee Avenue gate will be post's new main entrance come mid-July
Reach Bill Atkinson at batkinson@progress-index.com.