ROANOKE, Va. – After a month-long search, a man wanted for a double homicide in Roanoke is now behind bars.
Edward Denoyer is suspected of killing two people and injuring another on Melrose Avenue last month.
Denoyer was found in his home state of South Dakota. Police said he was at a home with a probable associate of his.
They said he ultimately surrendered after a standoff with South Dakota State Patrol and a SWAT team. A search warrant recovered a firearm at the scene.
U.S. Marshals said at least 50 investigators helped locate Denoyer, but his arrest would not have been possible without help from community tips and sightings.
“It’s just a matter of you know we have limited resources so we try to triage and find the most dangerous people in the community and at that time Edward Denoyer was that man,” U.S. Marshals Supervisory Deputy Frank Schermer said.
Police said in the days following the shooting, there were at least four sightings in Roanoke and one along the 460 corridor.
“People were willing to say who did it, people were willing to say, ‘Hey, we’ve seen him here, we’ve seen him there,’ and it gave us a lot of opportunity to follow up on it,” Roanoke Police Criminal Investigations Bureau leader Adam Puckett said.
Police have still not released the victims’ names or their relationship to Denoyer. They say they’re still trying to contact the family, but they’re hopeful this arrest brings the families peace.
“I hope it means a sense of relief, you know but with that being said, even though they might have a sense of relief now, they’ve got a journey to go through,” Puckett said. “There’s going to be court proceedings.”
A $3,000 reward was being offered for Denoyer’s arrest. Police said the person or people who tipped them off were anonymous, but they are welcome to claim the reward if they wish.