On the evening of Tuesday, December 9, 2025, officers in Newport News responded to a shooting in the 11700 block of Jefferson Avenue near a Popeye’s restaurant. They found 44-year-old Howard Mitchell Davis II with a gunshot wound and he was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later.

The shooting appears to have occurred in the parking lot or immediate vicinity of the fast-food establishment. Detectives cordoned off a large section of the commercial area to search for evidence, disrupting access to several businesses. Davis, a Carrollton resident who was born in Germany, is survived by his father and extended family.

As of the initial investigation, no suspect had been identified, no motive had been determined, and no arrests had been announced. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Newport News Crime Line or submit anonymous tips—did anyone see activity in that Jefferson Avenue corridor that evening?