NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Newport News police have charged a man with murder after a woman was found dead on a sidewalk early Wednesday morning.

Officers responded around 3:13 a.m. to the 4500 block of Jefferson Avenue for a report of someone lying on the sidewalk. Police said she was already dead when they arrived.

On Wednesday night, around 9:30 p.m., the woman was identified as 55-year-old Denna Marshay Williams of Newport News.

Neighbors who live just feet from the scene told 13News Now they heard what sounded like gunfire overnight.

One resident described the moment she reacted to the noise: “I heard shots, and my husband says the neighbor's also heard shots.”

Another neighbor said she tried to make her home look dark as she waited to see what was happening outside.

“I was sitting in

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