RIP JUAN CARLOS

Waterside death is second downtown slaying in 3 days
Posted to: Crime News Norfolk
Juan Carlos Ovalle-Peralta

By Patrick Wilson
The Virginian-Pilot
© March 23, 2009
NORFOLK

Police are seeking a man this morning on warrants charging him with the killing of another man in the Waterside parking garage Sunday morning, the second homicide in the downtown area in three days.

Police on Sunday night identified the suspect as Reginald E. Royals Jr., 24, of the 6300 block of Ardsley Square in Virginia Beach.

Police identified the man killed as Juan Carlos Ovalle-Peralta, 26, of Fairview Street in Chesapeake. A second man was injured.

"My initial thought this morning was... 'Are we not living in a safe environment?' " said Kevin R. Murphy, the president of the Downtown Norfolk Civic League and a downtown resident on Sunday. "At the end of the day, I'm really impressed with the work of the Norfolk police."

Royals was charged with murder, malicious wounding and two counts of use or display of a firearm in the commission of a felony, Amos said. Police did not release his photo because they were still showing it in lineups and did not want anyone to see the picture in media coverage Sunday.

About 2 a.m., Norfolk police were called to the fourth floor of the garage across Waterside Drive from the entertainment complex. Officers found the two victims, one already dead, said Officer Chris Amos, a police spokesman. The second was taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital for treatment.

Police said a minor car crash occurred inside the garage, which resulted in a confrontation between the two victims and three people in another vehicle, all of whom were later arrested. The fight escalated when shots were fired.

The three were trying to leave the garage when officers arrived, police said. Police charged only Royals.

Police did not release the name of the injured victim.

Brian Carter, 24, of Suffolk died Thursday after he was shot downtown during an apparent robbery at about 12:30 a.m. He was shot in a parked car in the 100 block of Bank St.

One of the robbery suspects, Marlon D. Sanders, 19, was then shot and killed by a Norfolk police bike patrol officer on Plume Street after he fired a gun at the officer, police said. The officer was near the robbery and heard the gunshots, police said.

Another suspect in the shooting of Carter, Brighton E. Alderman, 18, was arrested and charged with murder and related charges.

Murphy said he's glad the Norfolk police put officers inside some downtown parking garages on Friday and Saturday nights.

He also said the Waterside shooting reaffirms the downtown council's desire to get surveillance cameras in parking garages.

"For two-plus years we've been trying to get the city to put surveillance cameras in the garages," he said.

Safety there, he said, is growing more important because many downtown residents park their vehicles overnight in parking garages.

Pilot writer Lauren King contributed to this report.

Patrick Wilson, (757) 446-2957, patrick.wilson@pilotonline.com