Friends pay last respects to barber

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - You could always find Henry McIntosh at his barber shop on Church street. The 86-year-old was a part of the community, and his store was more of a meeting place than a business.

Until it became a crime scene.

"It's almost surreal," said Nicole Avery, whose husband worked at the shop. "You can't," she stammered, "you can't even put it into words."

Saturday afternoon, police said an armed robber shot and killed the man known as Mr. Mac. Without any suspects, the crime is like an open wound in the community.

"When this happened," Avery said, "it stung us."

Avery came to pay her last respects at the funeral home. For many, McIntosh's death is still too hard to comprehend.

"I wish him pleasant, pleasant journeys."

McIntosh cut hair for 50 years, even giving cuts for free to people who could not afford to pay. Bernice Lassiter remembers going to the barber shop with her brother in the 80s.

"He's going to be missed, and I'm quite sure a lot of young people are going to miss him too." Lassiter said.

Friends say he always talked during his hair cuts, always had something to say to anyone who walked in the door. But now it is the community speaking for him as friends and family try to find justice after something so senseless.

If you have any information about the armed robbery, call Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.