CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Friends, family and neighbors at a North Chesterfield apartment complex said they are heartbroken after 43-year-old Barbie Brown was killed Sunday night when her estranged husband allegedly shot her and two other people before confessing to the murder on Facebook.
Chesterfield Police said the shooting happened around 10:30 p.m. in the 6700 block of Amster Road at the Cloverleaf Lake Townhouse Apartments.
Barbie was headed inside her home when she was shot. Police said a man she knew was opening the door for her at the time he was shot.
The third victim was a man in a nearby apartment who was hit with a bullet that the suspect fired as he fled the scene, police said.
Barbie was pronounced dead at the scene, and the two men shot were transported to a local hospital with injuries that police said did not appear to be life-threatening.
Police identified the suspect as 34-year-old Terrell Brown based on comments he made in a Facebook video and other information they found. Detectives obtained felony warrants for second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in relation to the deadly shooting.
Around 12:55 a.m. Monday morning, as officers were trying to find Terrell, Virginia State Police spotted his 2011 Chevrolet Tahoe on Interstate 295 in Hanover County. Troopers initiated a traffic stop on Interstate 95 and Terrell pulled onto the shoulder near exit 86.
Police said as troopers got out of their vehicles to approach the Tahoe, they heard gunshots. When they approached, Terrell was found with a gunshot wound to his head. Police said he was the only person in the car.
Accounting to court documents, Terrell recently faced domestic and protection order-related charges in Chesterfield County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
Heather Safely, who tells CBS 6 she was a friend of Barbie's, said she was a caring friend, a devoted mother, sister and daughter.
"She was so warm and made me feel comfortable around her immediately upon meeting her. She could easily light up a room but easily relate to you as well," Safely said.
Safely added Barbie's family never imagined things could escalate to this.
A woman who claimed to be Barbie's relative, Yenoshi Mondrey, said, "Barbie was a pleasant, heartwarming, beautiful soul. She was a great mother, very kind, lovable and caring and she loved her children and her family. She loved Dallas Cowboys football games, Kickback Jacks and she loved doing makeup. She was an expert and she was on her way to greatness and will be very missed by her family."
Lisa Bacon, who lives with her daughter and granddaughter just a few doors down from the apartment where the shooting happened, was outside at the time when they heard 10 to 12 gunshots ring out.
“It was terrifying, absolutely terrifying to have that happen. Never been in that situation before, so, just kind of run for cover," Bacon said.
They called 911 after hearing the gunshots ring out.
“Literally when we were on the 911 call still, the sirens, you could just hear them starting to come. And the convergence of 15 police cars and three ambulances, and two fire trucks in this whole little area," Bacon said.
After violence struck the apartment complex, neighbors like Bacon are left heartbroken.
"Makes me kind of stop and think that, you know, anything could happen again, and I'm the first person in line," Bacon said.
