Norfolk man sentenced to 10 years for shooting two men outside apartment in 2021

Mark Harold Spillman, 39, was sentenced in Norfolk Circuit Court on Friday to 10 years in prison for shooting two men outside a Norfolk apartment in 2021.

Judge Jerrauld C. Jones sentenced Spillman to 10 years in prison, with another 13 years suspended on the conditions that Spillman complete 10 years of uniform good behavior and a period of indeterminate supervised probation following his release.

Spillman has prior felony convictions that prohibit him from possessing a weapon.

Following a bench trial on Feb. 8, 2023, Judge Jones convicted Spillman of being a felon in possession of a firearm, two counts of malicious wounding and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of malicious wounding.

According to court documents, on Aug. 10, 2021, Spillman was with a group of people talking outside a woman’s C Avenue apartment. At some point, Spillman asked if the woman could “hook him up” with her sister, which she declined to do.

The two victims, who are brothers, at some point came to the apartment and visited with the woman as well. Spillman yelled something out to the woman about her sister, and they had a brief argument. The two brothers said something to Spillman about the argument, and they escorted the woman away momentarily.

A short time later, one brother continued talking to the woman while the other spoke with Spillman. During that exchange, Spillman pulled out a firearm and shot the man, who had not been armed or touching Spillman, in his legs.

The man’s brother approached to try to help him, and Spillman turned the gun on him. As the man ran away, Spillman shot him in his back, and the brother who was already shot was able to take cover.

Both brothers required surgeries to correct their injuries. The victim shot in the legs had to relearn to walk after having a rod inserted in one of his legs, and both continue to experience nerve damage as a result of the shootings.

Spillman fled in his vehicle immediately after the shooting, and Norfolk Police secured warrants for his arrest.

A week later, patrol officers spotted Spillman’s vehicle and pulled him over to arrest him. Officers recovered a firearm from Spillman’s waistband which was later confirmed through forensic testing to be a match to the cartridge casings recovered from the shooting.