PETERSBURG, Va. -- The mother of a man shot and killed in front of a Petersburg home early Saturday morning said her son was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Officers were called to the 4000 block of Nottoway Street off of East Wythe Street around 6:30 a.m. for a report of a person down. When officers arrived, they found 22-year-old Corby Powell of Chesterfield suffering from a gunshot wound. He died at the scene.
4000 block of Nottoway Street
There has been no word yet on what led to the attack, but Sgt. Gregory Geist with Petersburg Police said investigators have strong leads.
"We do have a lot of people that came forward that want to help us out because this is the worst crime there is,” Geist said.
Powell's death is the fifth homicide for the city.
As police search for Powell's killer, his family is coming to grips with the senseless violence.
"My heart hurts because I'm so sick of seeing these deaths of these young children," said Cynthia Sykes, one of Powell's close friends. "It's a hurt in the community. It's a hurt everywhere you look and you see a mother that has lost a child."
Corby Powell
Family and friends remembered Powell as a happy-go-lucky guy who always had a smile on his face.
"He liked to joke... He didn't bother anybody," Sykes said. "It's not like he was out here selling drugs and toting a gun..."
Powell's distraught mother, Takesha Jones, spoke exclusively with WTVR CBS 6 reporter Sandra Jones.
"Colbert was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Jones said. "And whoever did this, they're going to get you.”
Powell's mother wants the community to pray and and his killer to do the right thing.
"Turn yourself in because, you're going to get caught,” Jones said.
Powell is survived by a two-year-old son.
If you have information that could help detectives, call Petersburg Police Major Crimes Unit at 804-732-8070 or Petersburg-Dinwiddie Crime Solvers at 804-861-1212.
Corby Powell
