Man accused in shootout with Norfolk officer faces murder charge

NORFOLK

A man found suffering a gunshot wound near where two teenagers were involved in a gunfight with a police officer has died, police said.

Brian Carter, 24, of the 200 block of Catalpa Court in Suffolk, died late Thursday, said Chris Amos, police spokesman.  

Two city teenagers involved in a gunfight with a downtown bicycle patrolman early Thursday that left one of them dead were co-defendants in two pending shooting cases and were free on bond, according to online court records and the Norfolk commonwealth's attorney's office. 

The bicycle officer, a 2-1/2-year veteran whom police declined to identify, heard gunshots about 12:30 a.m. and pedaled toward the sound, said Master Police Officer Chris Amos, a spokesman. The officer was heading west in the 400 block of Plume St. near MacArthur Square when "he was confronted" by two young men coming from Bank Street, Amos said.

"There was an exchange of gunfire between the suspects and the officer," Amos said. "One of the suspects was struck by the officer."

Marlon D. Sanders, 19, of the 2700 block of Tidewater Drive, was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Brighton E. Alderman, 18, who lived on the same block as Sanders, was arrested. Police charged him with malicious wounding, attempted robbery and two firearm charges. This morning, Amos said Alderman is now charged with murder and an additional gun charge.

Alderman complied with the bicycle officer during the confrontation and faces no additional charges from that gunfight, Amos said.

The bicycle officer wasn't injured and was placed temporarily on administrative leave. He'll return to work on administrative duty during the department's investigation, Amos said. The officer declined an interview request.

O fficers responding to the scene found a man with a serious gunshot wound in a parked car around the corner in the 100 block of Bank St., next to the former Kirn Memorial Library. His identity has not been released.

Police recovered a weapon at the scene that had been fired "multiple times," Amos said. Police declined to say how many shots were fired by all parties on the downtown street corner, where people were out after shows or dinner.

Sanders was awaiting a trial in June, and Alderman has one pending in May, on malicious wounding and firearm charges stemming from assaults on May 23 and June 18 of last year, according to court records. A judge allowed Alderman's release on bond in October and Sanders in December, over the objections of the commonwealth's attorney's office, said Amanda Howie, an office spokeswoman.

Shortly after noon Thursday, two city police forensics officers armed with a camera and a tape measure examined the shooting scene at the intersection of Plume and Bank. They spent several minutes digging at a column on the rear corner of the vacated library building, first with a pocketknife and then with a wrecking tool, to enlarge what they referred to as an "entry hole" about 3 feet above the sidewalk and to search inside, apparently for a spent bullet.

Workers in nearby buildings said they have had only minor crime concerns such as vandalism of parked cars, and that has lessened recently.

Cathy Coleman, president of the Downtown Norfolk Council, praised the police presence downtown. She said others she talked with Thursday expressed gratitude for the quick actions of the police officer.

"I think having bike officers on the street that hour of the morning is a real testament to the caring that our police department feels about our downtown," Coleman said.

Kevin R. Murphy, president of the Downtown Norfolk Civic League, called safety a "constant concern" in an urban area where residents like seeing activity and people on the street late into the night.

His group has seen crime lessening but seeks security cameras in city parking garages and more officers on streets as midweek events - and noise - increase.

"You just can't have enough police down here," Murphy said. "When you start to tolerate the bad behavior, when a cop doesn't tell people to stop screaming at 2 a.m., it attracts other people who want to scream at 2 a.m."

Matthew Bowers, (757) 222-3893, matthew.bowers@pilotonline.com