DATE: Tuesday, April 8, 1997                TAG: 9704080290

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B2   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Briefs 

                                            LENGTH:   51 lines

COURTS AND CRIMES

Brother of shooting victim arrested on unrelated charges

A Virginia Beach man who was questioned by police in connection with the shooting death of his brother Monday afternoon was taken into custody after police found several outstanding warrants on file for him.

James Collins, 55, of the 700 block of Coach House Court was not charged with his brother's shooting death - but he was arrested on several other charges already on file including a grand jury indictment for attempted malicious wounding in 1992, police spokesman Mike Carey said late Monday night. That charge stemmed from an incident in which Collins was accused of shooting into a neighbor's house.

Warrants for shooting into an occupied dwelling, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, two counts of possession of cocaine and one count of failure to appear in court for possession of cocaine also were served on Collins.

Police and paramedics received a report of a gunshot victim at 1:21 p.m. Monday, Carey said. When they arrived at the 700 block of Coach House Court, they found Collins' brother, Keith Jones, 42, unconscious and suffering from a ``rather severe'' wound to the upper torso.

He was found in the family room of a two-story house in Princess Anne Plaza.

Police said the shooting appeared to have resulted from an argument. Jones lived at the home, Carey said.

Collins was being held in the Virginia Beach Correctional Center on an $11,500 surety bond. NORFOLK

Norfolk man, 19, rrested in shooting

A Norfolk man has been arrested for the murder of Mehdi A. Jaffari, a Navy man who was shot to death early Sunday in the 300 block of W. Little Creek Road.

Police said Damien L. Lucas, 19, was arrested in front of his home in the 1000 block of Balview Ave. He was charged with murder, using a firearm and shooting into an occupied dwelling.

The motive for the killing was undetermined, police said. Lucas was scheduled to appear in Norfolk General District Court this morning.

Police had little other information about Jaffari, 18, except that he was stationed in Norfolk. The shooting was reported at 3:07 a.m. Sunday. He died at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital at 3:40 a.m. KEYWORDS: SHOOTING MURDER ARREST

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