Newport News police say a woman was killed in an apparent domestic shooting and her husband is wanted on murder and gun charges.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A fatal shooting on Deputy Lane has left a Newport News neighborhood on edge as police search for the husband of the victim, saying the case appears to be a domestic homicide and the suspect may still be armed.
The investigation centers on the killing of Keshia Pearley, 37, whose death was first reported Wednesday after officers answered a call about gunfire at a home in the 300 block of Deputy Lane. Within days, police named Pearley’s husband, 39-year-old Joquan Antonio Porter, as the suspect and said he was wanted on first-degree murder and two firearm-related charges. The case now stands at a tense point: detectives say they know whom they are looking for, but the suspect has not yet been taken into custody.
According to police, officers reached the scene at about 12:54 p.m. Wednesday after getting a report of a shooting. They found Pearley suffering from a gunshot wound and she was pronounced dead there. Investigators said forensics teams began processing the home and surrounding area while detectives worked to determine what led to the shooting. Early on, police said the incident was believed to be domestic in nature, an assessment that framed the investigation from the start. The next public update brought the victim’s identity. The update after that named Porter as the suspect. That sequence turned a local homicide case into a broader public safety alert as officers began looking for a man they said should not be approached.
Police said Porter now faces warrants charging him with first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and discharging a firearm within an occupied dwelling. Those charges sketch out what investigators believe took place, but several central facts have not yet been released. Authorities have not publicly described the moments before the shooting, said whether anyone else was inside the home, or explained how Porter is believed to have left the scene. They also have not announced an arrest location, a possible vehicle description or whether he may have help avoiding capture. What police have stressed is that Porter is considered armed and dangerous. That warning matters because it shapes how the search is handled and how neighbors understand the risk while the case remains unresolved.
The neighborhood response has become part of the story. A homicide in a residential block in the middle of the day can alter the sense of routine for everyone nearby, especially when the suspect has not been found. In Newport News, police said they planned a C.A.R.E. walk off Deputy Lane at 4 p.m. Friday, pairing the criminal investigation with a visible community outreach effort. The walk suggested officials were trying to address both immediate fear and longer-term unease after the shooting. It also underscored how domestic violence cases, though often centered inside private homes, quickly become public events when gunfire sends officers, crime scene technicians and emergency responders into a neighborhood. Even with police activity and public updates, many of the most personal parts of the case remain unknown outside the family and investigators.
The next procedural step is straightforward, even if the timing is not: Porter must be located and arrested before the case can move into open court. After that, prosecutors would be expected to present the charges formally, and detectives could begin laying out more of the evidence through court filings. Those filings may eventually show whether investigators are relying on witness interviews, forensic testing, digital records or prior interactions between the couple. For now, the public record remains narrow. Police have confirmed the victim’s identity, the location, the time of the shooting, the domestic nature of the case as they understand it and the charges they intend to pursue. A fuller account of motive and sequence will likely depend on an arrest, court hearings and additional investigative disclosures in the days ahead.
For neighbors, the case remains unfinished. The scene on Deputy Lane has shifted from the shock of a midday homicide to the uncertainty of a continuing search, with police asking the public to stay alert while detectives work through evidence and leads. Pearley’s death has already become more than a single incident report; it is now a homicide investigation, a fugitive search and a community trauma unfolding at once. Until Porter is found, the strongest public message from police is also the simplest one: the suspect is still out there, and the case is still moving.
As of Friday, police said Porter remained at large. The next major update is expected when officers make an arrest or release new details about the search and upcoming court proceedings.
Author note: Last updated April 6, 2026.