Two people are dead and eight wounded following three separate shooting incidents in Virginia Beach, Virginia, late Friday night, authorities said.
“We have a very chaotic incident, a very chaotic night in the beach,” Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said during a press briefing following the shootings. “Many different crime scenes.”
The gunfire started shortly after 11 p.m. local time. Officers patrolling the 1900 block of Atlantic Avenue in a resort area first heard multiple gunshots around 11:20 p.m. At the crime scene, in the area of 17th Street and 22nd Street, eight gunshot victims were found, according to Neudigate.
They were transported to local hospitals with injuries ranging from serious to life-threatening.
Police believe the shooting was preceded by a conflict that led to a physical fight, based on the preliminary investigation.
“At some point during the physical altercation, several individuals produced firearms and began shooting at each other, resulting in numerous people being wounded,” the Virginia Beach Police Department said in a statement released Saturday afternoon.
Three people have been charged in connection with the shooting, police announced Saturday: Ahmon Jahree Adams, 22, of Chesapeake, Virginia; Nyquez Tyron Baker, 18, of Virginia Beach; and Devon Maurice Dorsey Jr., 20, of Virginia Beach.
They each have been charged with seven counts of felonious assault, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and reckless handling of a firearm, and are in custody at Virginia Beach City Jail, police said.
© WVEC Police investigate the scenes of multiple shootings that happened close together Friday night in Virginia Beach, Va., March 26, 2021.
While at the initial crime scene, officers heard gunshots in the area. Responding officers found an adult female victim in the 300 block of 19th Street near Pacific Avenue, police said. She died of her gunshot injuries at the scene, according to police.
The victim, who police said was a bystander, was identified as Deshayla E. Harris, 29, of Norfolk, Virginia.
“We do believe that she truly is at this point in time an innocent victim that was probably struck by stray gunfire in some regards,” Neudigate said during a press briefing Saturday night.
Harris starred on the 17th season of the Oxygen reality show “Bad Girls Club,” E! Online reported.
There is no suspect information yet for the fatal shooting, which is believed at this time to be unrelated to the initial shooting, authorities said Saturday afternoon.
A fatal officer-involved shooting also occurred near the scene of the second incident, in the 300 block of 20th Street near Pacific Avenue, police said. A uniformed Virginia Beach officer “encountered an armed citizen,” police said in the update Saturday. The man, later identified as Donovon W. Lynch, 25, of Virginia Beach, died at the scene, authorities said. The police officer was not shot. A firearm was recovered in the vicinity of the shooting, authorities said.
Neudigate said Saturday night there is still little information about the shooting. They have not yet interviewed the officer involved in the shooting, and there isn’t any body-worn camera footage of the incident. The officer was wearing a camera but “for unknown reasons at this point in time, it was not activated,” Neudigate said. That will be part of an administrative investigation, he said.
The officer will be placed on administrative assignment pending the outcome of the investigation, the department said. He has been with the department for five years and is assigned to the Special Operations Division.
Police are still determining if any of the three incidents are connected to each other and if there are additional suspects. All were believed to have occurred outside, Neudigate said.
At some point during the three shooting incidents, a Virginia Beach police officer was also hit by a car, authorities said. He was transported to the hospital with minor injuries and has since been released, police said Saturday afternoon.
The department said it has increased the police presence in the resort area for the rest of the weekend following the shootings.
Virginia Beach police initially confirmed there had been a shooting at the oceanfront with “several victims.”
“VBPD is investigating a shooting involving several victims with possibly life-threatening injuries. Large police presence at the oceanfront between 17th and 22nd St. Please avoid the area at this time,” the department tweeted.
Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital confirmed to ABC News early Saturday that it was treating six patients with gunshot wounds. Their conditions were not immediately available.
Anyone with information regarding this crime can call Virginia Beach Crime Solvers at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP (1-888-562-5887).
it’s being done intentionally to force gun confiscation on law-abiding Tax paying Citizens……and then ONLY criminals will have guns….America BEWARE…..
We’re any of the victims armed ? Or are the laws so as citizens are not allowed to carry guns ?
These shootings are Democrat induced. Democrats are paying certain people to do shootings so they can get their gun control bill passed. Democrats will stop at nothing to get what they want. Democrats break every rule they can. They break laws and violate the Constitution of the United States as well as the Declaration of Independence. They have all taken an oath to the Constitution and broken that, too. They are all criminals and every single one of them must be arrested and indicted with NO bail. Democrats are not going to stop breaking the law. We need to stand up to them. They are Domestic terrorists and accuse us of that. Every nasty word they have said about citizens and even Donald J Trump is untrue and is what they are guilty of. They know it and we know it. How much longer are we going to take their evil injustices? We are on the brink of losing every single thing we own and even our loved ones. Prices are rising on all products and gas for your vehicles will reach $100.00 per gallon soon and you wont even be able to mow your lawns or go to the stores for what food may be left on the shelves, if any. You won’t even be able to visit a doctor and no ambulance will come for you if you need one. You will be on your own for defense and be jailed just for defending yourselves and your families. Mexicans and other immigrants will take over everything and probably force YOU out of your own home so they can have it. Democrats are taking away your guns so you can’t defend yourself. Kidnapping will escalate and perhaps your very own children will disappear forever to satisfy traffickers and adrenochrome infused evil elite. Why are you allowing all of this to happen? Is this what you want? When are you going to wake up and do something about it instead of just complaining about it or saying what should be done and yet YOU do nothing? I have done a lot. As only one person, I cannot do it alone. We must stand together and fight! Because if we don’t, we are going to die before our time.
NONE of this is going to stop as long as we are being suppressed by an ILLEGALLY gained Government. There is no one on this Planet that can prove to me that the last Presidential election was run and concluded by a set of TRUE AND STRAIGHT of rules. Typical of the” Modus Opperendi ” of the Democratic Party. ( So it’s 70? years since I read some Latin ). Another thing that I would really Appreciate now that the Dictatorial Rulers have taken over is that when mention any and all reference to Race include the Races of the persons evolved. I feel that it is only fair that we the innocent by standers be kept in formed as to who is doing what. GOD BLESS AMERICA. and I will offer up prayers to GOD every day for all of us. ” Geronimo”
I do Honestly believe that until the TREE HUGGING, PANSY ASSED MORONS IN OUR GOVERNMENT bring back Capital Punishment ( hanging with NO plea bargaining for MURDER ) we will never see a reduction of MURDER in America ). ALSO, was the murder in Arkansas committed by ILLEGAL ALIENS, if so if WITNESSED by 2 other people take them out the back door and let them swing in the breeze. No more Kissy, kiss and a slap on the wrist. Please Democrats, grow some Testicles.
All White Supremacists ?
HEY NANCY. how many of these shootings were performed by LAW ABIDING AMERICAN CITIZENS?????????? you are so pathetic. Don’t you have enough money? Don’t you have a Loving family of grand kids to squeeze and spoil rotten according to their parents? Don’t you have ANY Motherly instincts that are trying to force you to LOVE anyone? You, like myself don’t have much time left on this planet ( although HEAVEN will be a thousand of times better. Just think when and if you go to Heaven you can POLITIC for an ETERNITY. Cheyenne