The person who shot well-known Norfolk real estate agent Judy Boone just before midnight on New Year’s Eve fired through her beach house window after apparently moving her security cameras to avoid detection, an attorney for the family said Friday morning in a news conference.
Her family is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of whomever is responsible for the shooting. They’re asking that anyone with video footage, eyewitness accounts or information about suspicious activity to submit a tip to the Norfolk Crime Line by calling 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or via the P3Tips mobile app.
Boone suffered two gunshot wounds, one in both her wrist and abdomen, and is “on her feet,” according to attorney Peter Decker, who spoke to reporters at his downtown law office. Boone did not see the shooter, and police still do not have a suspect description.
“What we do know is some random person or persons came on the back porch of her home — as you know, if the lights are on inside you can’t see out — but the intruder, the burglar or whoever this character was, can see inside,” Decker said. “We’re imagining that (the shooter) thinks (Boone) saw him and he starts shooting through the glass into the house.”
The shooter allegedly climbed over the dunes to reach the home in the 1800 block of East Ocean View Avenue and “took off running” after firing, without entering the home, Decker said.
“(The shooter) moved the cameras — was able to reach the cameras, maybe used a stick or whatever to point the cameras away from the back porch,” Decker said. “So we do not have any photographic evidence.”
Decker credited the quick response of Norfolk police, fire and rescue with Boone’s recovery, saying she “may not be here” otherwise. She is expected to make a full recovery without any loss of function or reduced mobility, Decker said in an email.
Asked about rumors posted on social media that the shooting was targeted in relation to Boone’s extensive work in real estate, Decker dismissed them as “silly stuff.”
“Ocean View is such a great part of our city but there’s some characters in Ocean View and you hear all kinds of stuff,” he said. “I can’t speak to that because I don’t know where that would come from.”
Boone planned to go on an annual ski trip with her family for New Year’s but “for whatever reason, she had to stay home — probably working,” Decker said.
“Knowing Judy, her grandkids very easily could have been there that night. That’s what makes it extra scary,” the attorney said. “It just seems like a random act that’s just horrible.”
Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com
About the Author
