Melvin Alston, 32, was killed in the early hours of January 1, 2014, after a New Year’s celebration in Norfolk, Virginia turned violent. Emergency calls came in about 3:08 a.m.; officers were sent to a party in the 400 block of Berkley Avenue Extension where an argument escalated into gunfire. Multiple people were struck. Alston and another man, Marcus Deering, were pronounced dead at the scene. A woman and a fourth victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to area hospitals.

Police identified Alston later that day and reported he lived on Hoover Avenue in Chesapeake. As daylight arrived on New Year’s Day the investigation was ongoing: police said they were still searching for the suspect or suspects and asked anyone who knew who argued, who pulled a weapon, or who saw the shooter to contact the Norfolk Crime Line. Did anyone at the party or nearby that night see details that could help identify who fired the shots?