Heavy rain pounded two blue balloons and red flowers outside of Corey J. Achstein’s second-story Causey Avenue apartment Wednesday.

At the house directly across the street, Achstein’s family — his mother, uncles and grandmother — gathered on a covered porch. They shed tears, shared memories — but mostly, they pondered why the Suffolk Police Department isn’t answering their questions about Monday’s fatal shooting of Achstein, 28, by police.

“The police haven’t told us anything since yesterday,” said Achstein’s mother, Ginnie Kinsey. “I just can’t do this right now.”

Kinsey declined to discuss more about her son’s death.

Police have told the family that it could be three or four months before additional information is released, said Achstein’s uncle, Bill Walker.

“It’s frustrating,” he said. “We just want to know what happened.

“My sister and brother-in-law have questions that need to be answered. This is going to be hard on them for a long, long time.”

Achstein was killed by police gunfire and died at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital Monday, according to a city press release. Police were called to the 300 block of Causey Avenue to investigate reports of a man wielding a handgun, yelling profanities and threatening to kill three teenagers walking ahead of him.

The two officers spotted Achstein with a firearm near the intersection of Causey and Virginia avenues and ordered him to drop to the ground. Officer James Babor fired his weapon one time, striking Achstein when he didn’t follow officers’ directives.

Police recovered a BB gun near Achstein’s body, Kelley said.

Police have released few details, saying it is part of an active investigation, city spokesman Tim Kelley said. Although both officers were wearing body cameras, the videos will not be released before the investigations are completed, he said.

The department is conducting internal affairs and criminal investigations into the actions of both officers, Kelley said. Those findings will then be forwarded to Commonwealth’s Attorney C. Phillips Ferguson for review, he said. Those are standard procedures whenever there is an officer-involved shooting, Kelley said.
Even after Monday’s incident, many residents of Lakeside — an old, established neighborhood on the fringes of downtown Suffolk — say they feel safe in their community.

But with two daughters under age 10, Causey Avenue resident Quentin Kigler says he would like police to step up patrols.

“I have heard more gunshots than usual within the past month,” he said. “I am a little worried about letting the girls stay outside to play without staying with them.”

Although residents may notice more detectives in the neighborhood throughout this investigation, the level of uniformed officers patrolling will not change, Kelley said.

Causey Avenue resident Susan Jones, who grew up in Lakeside and spent most of her adult life there, says the neighborhood has changed over the years. She recalled incidents that have happened over the years: Her son was robbed in the backyard. A bullet was fired through a wall of her house. Her car has been broken into and her garage burglarized.

“I don’t know that this neighborhood in particular is less safe than it was. I think the world is less safe than it was years ago,” Jones said. “But I am not going to live in fear and I’m not going to leave my neighborhood.”

She blames many of the community’s current problems on the growing number of renters living there. Most incidents involving police appear to happen at rental properties, Jones said.

“There is an influx of renters … and I don’t think the rental agents care who they lease to,” she said. “If they had to put their families in the homes next door, it would be a different story.”

Longtime Linden Avenue resident John Pruitt said Lakeside — like every neighborhood — has challenges, largely due to the transient traffic passing through.

“I feel like the neighborhood is as safe as Harbour View, mainly because I don’t know that area,” Pruitt said. “But you have to be practical and use commonsense judgment.”

Pruitt’s commonsense moves include sticking to the main road when he walks. He doesn’t goes on walks at night, parks his car in a garage rather than on the street, and sets his house alarm.