Jury Convicts Norfolk Man of Manslaughter Following 2021 Barbershop Shooting
NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk jury on Friday convicted 44-year-old Fareed Nelson Luckett of voluntary manslaughter and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony after Mr. Nelson Luckett shot and killed 37-year-old Calvin Anthony Durham Jr. at a Brambleton barbershop.
On the afternoon of June 4, 2021, Mr. Durham went looking for Mr. Nelson Luckett at Kappatal Cuts on Brambleton Avenue. Video surveillance footage from the inside of the shop showed Mr. Durham starting a fistfight with Mr. Nelson Luckett and barbershop staff and clients intervening to break up the fight. After Mr. Durham and Mr. Nelson Luckett were separated and had a moment to cool off, both men reentered the shop.
A few minutes later, Mr. Durham walked past Mr. Nelson Luckett out the front door of the shop. When Mr. Durham reentered the shop shortly after, Mr. Nelson Luckett initiated another fight with Mr. Durham. The video footage showed that Mr. Durham had nothing in his hands when he reentered the shop, and he did not look at or speak to Mr. Nelson Luckett. During this second scuffle, both men produced firearms and shot one another. According to Mr. Nelson Luckett’s testimony at trial, Mr. Nelson Luckett took a firearm from Mr. Durham’s person and shot him with it.
Mr. Nelson Luckett admitted to shooting Mr. Durham when Norfolk Police arrived at the barbershop, but he claimed he did so in self-defense. Emergency responders transported Mr. Nelson Luckett and Mr. Durham to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where Mr. Durham was pronounced dead and Mr. Nelson Luckett was treated for his injuries.
Mr. Nelson Luckett was arrested on June 9, 2021, and charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of murder. After about four hours of deliberation on Friday, the jury found Mr. Nelson Luckett guilty of voluntary manslaughter — a lesser included offense of second-degree murder — and the use of a firearm. He is docketed for sentencing on Oct. 20.
“Mr. Durham did not need to die. Just because someone claims self-defense does not mean that they are right, and when they are wrong, they have committed a crime,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Thank you to the eyewitnesses who testified in this case and helped hold Mr. Nelson Luckett accountable. Witness cooperation, plus high-quality video from the scene of the crime and good work from the Norfolk Police Department, helped bring this case to verdict.”
Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorneys Shavaughn N. Banks and Michelle L. Newkirk are prosecuting Mr. Nelson Luckett’s case on behalf of the Commonwealth.
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