2 dead, 8 others injured after shootings at Virginia Beach Oceanfront

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Police confirm there are two people dead and numerous others injured after multiple shootings — one of which was officer-involved — at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront Friday night.

Saturday afternoon, police identified the two people who were killed. Additionally, three people were arrested and charged in connection with one of the shooting incidents.

Police said in a statement Saturday that three separate shooting events took place the evening of March 26 at the Virginia Beach Resort Area.

VBPD scheduled a media briefing Saturday at 8 p.m. Read more and watch here.

Police Chief Paul Neudigate said the preliminary count for the number of people shot Friday night is 10: A man was killed by police, a woman died from other gunfire, and eight were injured. ** On March 30, during a special council meeting, Neudigate updated the number of injured at the first shooting to nine, for a total of 11 people shot Friday night.

The eight people’s injuries range from serious to life-threatening.

Neudigate said police officers on patrol responded to an initial shooting at 20th Street and Atlantic Avenue. Dispatchers said the calls came in around 11:20 p.m. EST. Neudigate said numerous shots were fired and several people were injured.

Initial investigations into the incident revealed that a group of individuals were involved in some type of conflict which turned into a physical altercation.

At some point during the altercation, Virginia Beach Police said several individuals produced firearms and began shooting at each other, resulting in injuries.

As officers were actively working that scene, there were additional shots nearby, in the area of 20th Street and Pacific Avenue. Police responded to that gunfire, which led to an “individual being confronted by a uniformed Virginia Beach police officer, resulting in a police intervention shooting” in the 300 block of 20th Street.

That person was shot and killed by the officer, Neudigate said. Police also added that the man died at the scene.

Later on in the day, WAVY News 10’s Andy Fox identified one of the victims as 25-year-old Donovon Lynch. Lynch’s father reached out to Andy calling his son “a father’s dream.”

Virginia Beach Police confirmed Saturday afternoon that the person who died in the officer-involved shooting incident was Lynch.

A second person, a woman who wasn’t part of the officer-involved shooting — and not believed to be a part of the original shooting incident at 20th Street and Atlantic Avenue — was also shot and killed Friday night. She died at the scene.

Police identified her Saturday as 28-year-old Deshayla Harris and confirmed she was a bystander at a second shooting incident that happened in the 300 block of 19th Street. TMZ later posted that they confirmed Harris was on season 17 of the show “Bad Girls Club.”

Police said there is no suspect information in that shooting. They also added that they believe the two shootings are unrelated.

The chief also said an officer was struck by a car and taken to a hospital and later released during the department’s response at the Oceanfront. The officer’s injuries are not considered life-threatening.

Chopper 10 flew over the resort area early Saturday morning and located several active police scenes.

“What you can see is we have a very chaotic incident, a very chaotic night in the Beach,” Neudigate said. “Many different crime scenes.”

WAVY News 10’s Brett Hall went to Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, where he found some family members and loved ones waiting in the parking lot, desperate to get information.

One man said his cousin had been shot. He said the hospital wouldn’t confirm if his cousin was even a patient there.

A Sentara spokesperson Dale Gauding said six of the victims were taken to Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, one went to Sentara Princess Anne Hospital (that person has since been discharged) and one to the trauma center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Gauding said another two people walked into Sentara Virginia Beach General with injuries related to the incident.

A later update Saturday night from Sentara officials said that as of 6:05 p.m., four patients remain at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital – all of whom were “in good condition.”

Police said officers were working the scenes in the area between 17th and 22nd streets. Police asked people to avoid the area as they investigated.

Neudigate said that the Oceanfront scene was “stable” when he spoke briefly with the media around 1:45 a.m.

WAVY News 10 crews at the Oceanfront saw Virginia Beach police detaining multiple people around 1:30 a.m. Neudigate said police had multiple people who were in custody.

The investigation into the officer-involved shooting will be conducted by the Virginia Beach Police Departments Detective Bureau, the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, and the Virginia Beach Police Department’s Office of Internal Affairs. The officer involved will be placed on administrative assignment pending the outcome of the investigation, which is standard procedure.

The involved officer is assigned to the Special Operations Division and has been with the department for five years, police said.

BELOW: Police Chief Paul Neudigate briefly talks to the media at the Oceanfront on March 27, 2021.

Traffic cameras at the Oceanfront showed a large police presence and multiple roads blocked off. At least one ambulance could also be seen from the cameras.

VDOT Hampton Roads tweeted information saying that police activity had closed all eastbound travel lanes near mile-marker 25 on Interstate 264. That initial notice was put out around 12:20 a.m.

All eastbound lanes on I-264 at mile-marker 23.2 — First Colonial Road north at Exit 21B — in Virginia Beach and the entrance ramp were also closed as of 12:40 a.m. and remained closed until just after 5 a.m.

Police said more information would be released as it becomes available.

Stay with WAVY.com for updates.

Editor’s note, March 28, 2022: Since the original reporting of this story, Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate has said the information given during a meeting March 30, 2021 that nine people were shot and injured and two others were killed at the Oceanfront March 26 was not correct. WAVY confirmed with the chief that eight people were injured and two were killed.