Ishmael El-Amin Simmons was 35 when he was found dead inside a Davis Lane residence in Hopewell, Virginia, in the early morning hours of December 25, 2021. Police say the call to authorities came from someone who had been present during the shooting and left the scene with children.

Investigators believe an argument between Simmons and another man escalated into the fatal shooting. Authorities located and arrested 21-year-old Armani Maxwell Myrick of Petersburg within days; he was taken into custody on December 28, 2021, and charged in connection with the case, including murder and firearms offenses. The specific circumstances that led to the argument and the shooting have not been released, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone who was in the Davis Lane area on December 25, 2021, or who has information about the events that night is asked to contact investigators.