RICHMOND, Va. – Friends of the man whose body was found on the street on Richmond’s Southside early Saturday morning are still coming to grips with the loss.
Ernst Lucas and Ebone' White remembered their friend Naquan R. Bentley as fun-loving man.
"I just don't know how to take it man,” Lucas said. “He didn't deserve this. He's not by blood brother, but he's my brother.”
Police said they found the 35-year-old in front of a home in the Swansboro neighborhood around 6:40 a.m. Saturday. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Neighbors said they heard gunshots before police arrived.
According to detectives, they are following up on leads, but do not believe the incident was random.
Bentley’s death is Richmond’s 52nd homicide for 2016.
Lucas, who said he cannot understand why someone would hurt his friend, recalled the words Bentley shared only hours before he was killed.
"He told me yesterday, ‘I'm with you. I'm never against you. Left foot, right foot, I'm here for you.’ I just don't know how to take it, man,” he said.
Friends said Bentley was not violent and always made them laugh.
“He's just always going to be beside me; he's going to be there, no matter what,” Lucas said.
Lucas and White said they are planning a vigil for Bentley Thursday.