Former College Football Player Identified As Person Shot By Police During Virginia Beach Shootings
A man who was shot and killed by Virginia Beach police has been identified as a former college football player.
According to USA Today, Donovan Lynch, 25, was an offensive lineman for the University of Virginia’s College at Wise during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He graduated from the school in 2019, the Bristol Herald Courier reports.
Head coach Dane Damron told the newspaper that Lynch was a good player and outgoing man. “He was in my house a lot of times as well, going through a cooking class my wife did with some of my players,” Damron said while remembering his recruiting visits. "He never met a stranger. He’ll certainly be missed.”
Lynch was one of two people killed in shootings that occured at a Virginia oceanfront resort area. Eight other people were wounded that night, according to police.
Initially, authorities say an officer “encountered an armed citizen” and fatally shot him.
Violence erupted in the oceanfront resort area when “a group of individuals were involved in some type of conflict that resulted in a physical fight,” according to a police statement.
“At some point during the physical altercation, several individuals produced firearms and began shooting at each other, resulting in numerous people being wounded,” the statement continued.
That prompted officers to respond to the incident.
The other person identified as dead during the shootings is Bad Girls Club star Deshayla Harris.
Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate stated at a Saturday press conference that that officer’s body camera “for unknown reasons at this point in time, it [the body cam] was not activated,” WAVY.com reported.
The police arrested three suspects on multiple charges, including the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
