VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate held a briefing Saturday night regarding the shootings at the Oceanfront.
Police say three separate shootings Friday, March 26, left two people dead and eight people injured. One of the fatal shootings was officer-involved.
Neudigate said that during the first incident at Atlantic Avenue and 20th Street, seven people were shot after an argument and a physical fight ensued. Three people were arrested Saturday and charged in connection with that incident. He also said that an officer was able to identify the suspects which led to the arrests.
Neudigate said the second incident that occurred in the 300 block of 19th Street resulted in the death of 29-year-old Deshayla E. Harris of Norfolk. He said the incident is still under investigation, no suspect information is available and no arrests have been made.
“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.
He continued to say the decedent of the third event, an officer-involved “police intervention shooting” in the 300 block of 20th Street, was 25-year-old Donovon W. Lynch of Virginia Beach.
Neudigate said during the briefing that when it comes to allegations that Lynch was unarmed, “a firearm was recovered in the vicinity of where this incident occurred.”
He says that while the officer involved had a body camera on their uniform, police do not have the footage of the incident. He said, “for unknown reasons at this point in time, it [the body cam] was not activated.”
Neudigate said that will be part of the administrative investigation that will be subsequent to the criminal investigation.
Neudigate also said the officers involved and additional witnesses have not been interviewed yet.
He says the incidents are not believed to be connected.
The full briefing can be watched below.