On the late evening of April 18, 2026, gunfire erupted in a Portsmouth neighborhood. Police responded to the 200 block of Mayflower Road at about 10:44 p.m. and found 47-year-old Christopher M. Blair inside a residence with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a local hospital and later died of his injuries.

Investigators say 54-year-old Bentley Tramaine Cherry of Suffolk went to Blair’s home that night. An argument between the two men escalated and ended with Blair being shot; Cherry fled the scene but was arrested the next day. He faces counts including first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and shooting in the commission of a felony, and is being held without bond.

A viewing and celebration of life were scheduled for Blair. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the police.