CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The Chesapeake City Council has approved funding for a new $1.5 million project to upgrade the city's emergency communications center. This decision came just days before a homicide shook a local neighborhood.

The funding will replace and improve emergency communications equipment throughout the city, with upgrades including new telephone systems, replacement servers and additional technological improvements inside the center.

The homicide occurred early Thursday morning near S. Military Highway and Willis Street, leaving neighbors like Christina Dietrick concerned about safety in their community.

"I heard the gunshots. And then when we got up this morning for work and to take the kids to school, we realized that everything was blocked off, and that's when we found out

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