THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 2, 1995 TAG: 9504020003
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM HOLDEN AND MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 48 lines
One Huntersville resident called it the ``house of ill fate.''
Early Saturday the decrepit frame home near the intersection of Sutton and Bower streets became the site of a homicide and arson investigation after firefighters discovered the body of an unidentified man who had been shot.
``People are in and out of there all the time, just all the time,'' said Rudolph Ruffin, a 63-year-old resident whose front porch is within sight of the half burned house. ``I figured something was going to happen there eventually.''
Police said the man inside the burned home was apparently shot before the fire was set. His body was sent for an autopsy. Investigators have not determined who he is. A fingerprint check failed to determine his identity.
Police described the victim as a black male, probably in his 30s.
Police are investigating whether the fire was set to cover the shooting.
The fire was reported shortly after 4:30 a.m. Saturday. No one else was injured in the blaze that firefighters controlled in about 15 minutes.
The sound of gunfire in the area has become so common most residents refuse to be identified when talking about trouble-prone neighbors.
``That is a house of ill fate and it's surprising that something like this hasn't happened before,'' said one resident who has lived in the neighborhood 41 years. ``We've been calling the police about that place but they haven't done anything about it.''
Another neighbor said she was not surprised at the shooting.
``Night before last we had a bunch of people out here shooting guns. It's gotten to the point that I'm used to it. But that house, it's a bad one. I can't swear it's drugs, but everyone to the company they keep.''
Although crime in the Huntersville section has decreased 80 percent in the past four years, it still remains one of Norfolk's most violent neighborhoods. The 327 serious crimes committed there in 1994 make Huntersville the fifth most crime-ridden area in the city.
Police spokesman Larry Hill said no suspects were in custody Saturday night, and detectives are still working to determine a motive.
Anyone with information is asked to call 441-5100.
KEYWORDS: SHOOTING MURDER ARSON UNIDENTIFIED
BODY by CNB