On August 17, 2019, 34-year-old Chandra Eason was found inside a car at a Circle K gas station in the 100 block of Ottis Street in Newport News, Virginia, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses supplied a description of the shooter and the license plate of the vehicle used to flee, which led investigators to identify Jerome Michael Uzzle, 34, who was married to Eason, as the suspect. Police went to the 5700 block of Madison Avenue and set up a perimeter near the Cottage Grove Apartments. Uzzle emerged from a different residence and opened fire on a patrol car, wounding an officer and a civilian participating in a ride-along. Officer Branden Kidder returned fire, striking Uzzle; Uzzle later died at a hospital. The officer and the civilian were listed in stable condition and expected to recover.

The Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office concluded the officer’s use of deadly force was justified. Ballistic analysis matched the firearm used in the ambush to the weapon that killed Chandra Eason. If anyone knew Chandra or saw activity around Ottis Street or the Cottage Grove Apartments on August 17, 2019, please share what was observed.