HAMPTON — A driver for a restaurant food delivery service shot an armed man who was trying to rob him early Friday, the Hampton Police Division said.
Shortly thereafter, a man was found dead — with multiple gunshot wounds — on a nearby street, and police investigators are still trying to determine whether the two cases are linked.
Police got a 911 call about 12:50 a.m. about an exchange of gunfire following a robbery attempt in the 400 block of Marion Road, Hampton police spokesman Cpl. Shaun Stalnaker said in a news release.
The food delivery driver, 36, told police he had just completed a delivery and was returning to his car when he was approached by a man brandishing a gun.
The driver “produced his own firearm, and an exchange of gunfire ensued,” Stalnaker wrote.
The driver was not wounded. He remained at the scene “and is fully cooperating with detectives,” Stalnaker said.
The would-be robber ran from the scene after being shot, and Hampton officers deployed a tracking dog in an attempt to find him.
A short time later, Stalnaker said, someone called police about a “suspicious vehicle” on Sargeant Street, across Old Buckroe Road from Marion Road and only a short distance from the site of the robbery.
Police went to Sargeant Street and found a man on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. Hampton medics pronounced the 35-year-old man dead at the scene. The car was owned by the decedent, Stalnaker said.
Stalnaker said Hampton detectives are still investigating whether the two incidents are related.
“They want to make sure they cross their T’s before they just come and say this is the guy,” Stalnaker said of the investigators. “They want to make sure they’re correct when they say it’s linked.”
The men’s identities have not been released.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Hampton Police at 757-727-6111 or the Crime Line at 1–888-LOCK-U-UP (1-888-562-5887). Callers can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,500. Callers may also leave tips at P3Tips.com, or on the P3Tips mobile phone application.
Peter Dujardin, 757-897-2062, pdujardin@dailypress.com
