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Police look for link between shootings
Huntington Police Chief Skip Holbrook speaks Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008, during an interview with The Herald-Dispatch.
Purchase this photoHUNTINGTON -- Police are investigating whether gunfire at a Huntington residence early Sunday morning was connected to the shooting at a downtown nightclub, Police Chief Skip Holbrook said Thursday.
The residence in the 1000 block of 25th Street is that of Reginald Marbury, who was charged by police Wednesday with attempted murder in the gunfire that took place at Club Babylon, 831 4th Ave., about 3 a.m. Sunday. A criminal complaint charges he fired several gunshots, two of which Holbrook said struck another man, during the club shooting.
The shots fired at Marbury's house occurred shortly after the nightclub shootings, police said. No injuries were reported there.
Investigators recovered seven spent bullets from Marbury's residence, which is about 25 blocks southeast of the nightclub. Holbrook described it as "retaliation or continuation," depending upon how one looks at the case.
"We have a working theory (the shootings) are connected," he said. "You can make some strong assumptions based on those affidavits, but we're not prepared to say scientifically that is the case yet."
Holbrook believes ballistic evidence scheduled to be tested at a federal laboratory will help his officers make that determination. He has said agents will examine firearms, shell casings and projectiles recovered in the investigation. He hopes to receive test results sometime next week.
In the nightclub shooting, officers found three people, including Marbury and his alleged victim, Sontezz Lomax, 29, of Huntington, injured outside. A fourth man -- Joe Jeremaine Porter, 30, of Huntington -- was fatally shot by an unnamed police officer inside the club. Huntington police say Porter had pointed a firearm in the officer's direction.
Porter died from a single gunshot wound to the chest. He received medical treatment within eight minutes of when police learned of gunfire at the club. He died about three hours later at an area hospital.
Many details of the shooting remain under wraps, but detectives continue conducting interviews and "shaking the bushes" in a search for answers, Holbrook said. He has explained some details are strategically held back to help detectives corroborate and validate witness statements. He vowed more details will be released once interviews are exhausted and ballistic testing is complete.
A court document states police seized a box of .45 caliber ammunition, one 9 mm round, nine shell casings, five bullet fragments and seven spent bullets from inside and outside of Marbury's residence.
Another court document gives insight to the nightclub incident. It says police received reports an altercation among several customers in the bar led to numerous gunshots. The gunmen continued firing weapons as they exited the club.
The violence forced a small group of bartenders, co-workers and patrons to take cover inside of a small room behind the bar, according to witnesses at the scene. One of the bartenders who hid said it seemed as if sporadic shooting continued for 20 minutes.
One bartender has said a large group of men came into the bar shortly before closing time and ordered about $300 worth of shots. A group member started drinking shots without paying. That started an argument that involved that person, another member of the group, the bartender and the bar owner.
Holbrook has declined comment when asked to describe what motivated the bar room altercation.
Those found injured with gunshot wounds outside of the club were Marbury, 25, Lomax and Christopher Lewis, 28, of Thurmond, Ohio. Each received hospital care in the area for individual gunshot wounds.
The criminal complaint charging Marbury alleges that several of the gunshots he fired struck Lomax.
Holbrook said Lomax received two gunshot wounds, one in the right shoulder and the other in the right buttocks.
Police have not identified the gunman or gunmen whose bullets struck Marbury and Lewis.
Holbrook also has not released the officer's name whose gunshot led to Porter's death. The police chief continues to cite the officer's mental well-being and physical fitness to deal with anything that may come from the release.
