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'We're Not Getting the Cooperation We Need': Martinsville Police Chief Says Deadly Shooting Investigation Won't Be Solved by Silence
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — The crime scene tape may be coming down, but Martinsville Police say the investigation into Saturday morning's deadly shooting is just getting started—and it could take time.
Speaking with Star News from the scene, Martinsville Police Chief Chad Rhoads said detectives have been working since shortly after the shooting was reported just after 4 a.m. and are continuing to gather evidence and interview witnesses.
"We're not ready to name a suspect at this time," Rhoads said. "We're interviewing the people that we can locate, and we've collected all the evidence here at the scene that we can locate."
The shooting in the 400 block of Fayette Street claimed the life of D'Sean Jones, 24, of Danville. Two women were also struck by gunfire. One has since been treated and released from the hospital, while the second remained hospitalized as police awaited an update on her condition.
Investigators are now serving multiple search warrants in hopes of uncovering additional evidence.
"This is probably going to be a long investigation," Rhoads said. "We're getting some cooperation, but we're not getting the level of cooperation that we would hope for."
The chief emphasized that cooperation from witnesses and the community can make the difference between solving a case quickly and watching an investigation drag on for weeks or even months.
When officers arrived, the area was crowded with people, but police are still trying to determine exactly what led to the violence.
"We don't know that there was a huge party here," Rhoads explained. "This may have traveled from some other part of the city, the county, or possibly even Danville and just ended up in this neighborhood."
Detectives are also investigating whether the fatal shooting could be connected to another reported shots-fired incident near the Forest Street and Starling Avenue area earlier in the night.
"It's highly unlikely that two incidents like that in the same night in the same city aren't connected," Rhoads said. "We're looking into that nexus to see if there is one."
Rhoads also noted that while shootings involving female victims may once have been considered unusual, recent trends suggest otherwise.
"Unfortunately not lately," he said. "A lot of these things get exacerbated on social media. We get people coming here from different communities over social media beefs. That's a possibility, and we'll be looking at that as well."
The investigation has drawn assistance from the Henry County Sheriff's Office and the Virginia State Police. Additional patrols are planned throughout Martinsville to help prevent any retaliation or additional violence.
When asked what message he had for anyone thinking about causing more trouble, Rhoads kept it simple.
"Just don't," he said. "We all live here. Our kids live here. Our families live here. Treat each other well. Let's put a stop to this."
Anyone with information about the shooting is encouraged to contact the Martinsville Police Department or Crime Stoppers. Police say even the smallest piece of information could help detectives identify those responsible.
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