Jury Convicts Man of Felony Second-Offense Carrying of Concealed Weapon
NORFOLK, Va. — A jury convicted Artaveus Larue Whitfield, 24, on Dec. 4 of felony second-offense carrying of a concealed weapon after police found him hiding a gun in his clothes shortly after a shooting last year.
On Aug. 1, 2024, Norfolk Police patrol officers were in the 900 block of Church Street when they heard what sounded like automatic gunfire coming from the east of their location. The officers headed towards the Calvert Square neighborhood and turned eastbound on Bagnall Road when they saw Mr. Whitfield dressed in all black and tucking a gun into his waistband while running from the direction of the gunshots. The officers detained Mr. Whitfield, searched him, and found a black Glock 48 9mm firearm in his right pant leg. After he was read his Miranda rights and transported to the Police Operations Center, Mr. Whitfield spoke with investigators and admitted to having pulled out his firearm before re-holstering it when he noticed the police arriving.
Mr. Whitfield does not have a concealed-carry permit and has previously been convicted of the misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon. As a result of this incident, Mr. Whitfield was charged with felony second-offense carrying of a concealed weapon. He pleaded not guilty to that charge and requested to be tried by a jury. On Dec. 4, after hearing the evidence and arguments by the Commonwealth and Mr. Whitfield’s defense counsel, a jury found Mr. Whitfield guilty. Judge Joseph C. Lindsey, who presided over the jury trial, set Mr. Whitfield’s sentencing hearing on Feb. 6, 2026.
“Carrying a concealed weapon without a permit is a dangerous leading indicator of being either a violent-crime victim or a violent-crime perpetrator,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Being smart on crime means recognizing when, as here, public safety demands a restriction on an individual’s firearm rights. My office and I will continue to focus our efforts on cases that have an impact on public safety in our city.”
Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Christina L. Brady and Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Bailey C. Ottinger are prosecuting Mr. Whitfield’s case, and Norfolk Police Detective David B. Eberhardt led the investigation.
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