Third victim shot in Portsmouth double homicide said she survived by playing dead, court documents say
A robbery attempt led to the fatal shooting of two brothers in Portsmouth Sunday and a witness told police she survived being shot by playing dead, according to court documents filed in the case.
On Friday, police charged Shamoine Briggs, 30, and Joseph Cross, 31, with first-degree murder in deaths of 51-year-old brothers Alvin K. Joyner and Calvin R. Joyner. A woman was also shot.
Court documents filed in Portsmouth General District Court detail an account by the surviving witness as well as police interviews with both Briggs and Cross.
Police interviewed the woman from the hospital, where she was rushed into surgery. She was struck in the neck and shoulder area, and the bullet traveled toward her jaw, according to court documents. She spoke to police by writing on a white board because her jaw was wired shut. The woman said the shooting happened as Cross tried to rob her and the brothers. After she was shot, the woman said she played dead on the ground so that she would not be shot again.
The shooting happened in the early-morning hours of Feb. 5, in the 1800 block of Nashville Avenue near Mt. Calvary Cemetery.
According to court documents, the brothers and the woman were traveling in a vehicle together and they picked up the two suspects — Briggs and Cross — on the corner of Deep Creek and Palmer Street. After visiting Swanson Homes, they traveled to Nashville Avenue.
The surviving witness told police that Cross had pulled out a gun and demanded money from everyone in the car. The witness gave him $22, and said Calvin Joyner did not have any money. The witness said she was unsure if they took anything from Alvin Joyner.
According to the court documents, Cross made several denials in reference to the shooting when detectives first interviewed him. When detectives interviewed him again, Cross said he shot Alvin Joyner, who was driving, because Briggs told him that she saw a gun. After shooting Alvin Joyner, Cross said that Calvin Joyner lunged at him, and that’s why he shot him. Cross then shot the witness because “he was afraid, (and) she would tell what happened,” court documents say.
After the shooting, Cross and Briggs drove off in the stolen car, according to the court documents. Briggs told police in an interview that Cross lit the car on fire with a lighter, and that she was scared that Cross would kill her.
When asked about the vehicle — which was found engulfed in flames — Cross said he did not want the car, and he wanted to get rid of it. Cross told police he took Alvin Joyner’s gun from his car, and court documents indicate it was later recovered by police.
Briggs and Cross were each charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Other charges include robbery, carjacking, arson and five counts of use of a firearm. They are both in custody.
Briggs and Cross are next scheduled to appear in court for preliminary hearings on April 12. Attorneys for Briggs and Cross could not be reached for comment Friday.
Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com
