Incidents

"Police said they were called to the store for a report of a suspicious person. A clerk told an officer that a man with a knife had tried to rob the store. When the officer approached Closson, he produced a cutting tool roughly six inches long, with an approximately three-inch serrated edge, police said. The officer fired his gun after Closson advanced toward him and ignored numerous commands to stop, according to police. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The officer, a five-year veteran of the department who hasn’t been identified by police, wasn’t injured. He’s been placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice for officer-involved shootings."

Virginia Beach police officer Sean A. Fearon is charged with felony object sexual penetration, felony abduction, and felony destruction of evidence. Fearon was on duty at the time of the alleged incident.

The VBPD Detective Bureau began an investigation and presented their findings to the Chesapeake's Office of Commonwealth's Attorney, who convened a grand jury. The grand jury indicted Fearon on all the charges.

Record is sealed (7/24/2024).

Craig Byl, 48, was shot and killed by Virginia Beach Police inside his home behind the front door while up to 61 police officers responded to a call (four officers fired their guns) while Byl claimed he wanted to hurt himself.

Virginia Beach police officers shoot and kill 28-year-old Deshawn Whitaker. Whitaker died on December 2 from his injuries.

Officer Solomon Simmons shot and killed Donovan Lynch at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. The ensuing court case was controversial, with an investigation revealing the officer's bodycamera had been off and that Lynch's body had been moved.

A Virginia Beach police officer attacked and handcuffed Jamar Mackey, a Black father, while he was eating at the mall food court with his fiancee and 13-year-old child. The officer claimed he "looked like" a thief. They later apologized for their "mistake."

Alvin Lamont Baum II was shot and killed by Virginia Beach Police Department officers.

Vrginia Beach police officers Bradley Colas and Nigel Tuft-Williams shot and killed Jeffrey Tyree. Colas was later found liable in a civil suit and the City awarded Tyree's family a settlement of $1,000,000 dollars. However, in January 2023, this judgment was reversed.