#Donovan lynch series

He said his claim about the second person being shot by an officer was based on statements from witnesses who had not spoken to police. He said Lynch was shot two times - once in the leg and once in the chest - as he was walking back to his car with a friend. Reichert, who has known the Lynch family for years, also offered details about Lynch’s injuries that the police have not divulged. “And Donovon (Lynch) is not an easy miss. They weren’t best friends, but he knew who he was,” Reichert said. “The police officer knew Donovon and the man that he was with. Police have not identified the officer who shot Lynch, other than to say he is Black. Williams sent a letter to city officials last month announcing he wouldn’t bring his highly successful Something in the Water music festival back to the city, in part because of the way it handled the investigation of his cousin’s death.Reichert did not say how Lynch and his friend knew the officer, but one of Lynch’s relatives previously told The Pilot that Lynch went to high school with the officer. Lynch was a cousin of singer and songwriter Pharrell Williams, who also grew up in Virginia Beach.

#Donovan lynch series

The lawsuit claims the officer made a series of fatal errors that night, and that Virginia Beach police have a long history of using excessive force. He filed a $50 million federal lawsuit against the city of Virginia Beach and Simmons in June. Wayne Lynch didn’t respond to requests for comment Tuesday. He said Wayne Lynch was “obviously upset” by it, but declined to say more. Stolle said he provided the same presentation that he gave to reporters to Lynch’s father, Wayne Lynch, earlier Tuesday. While Tuesday’s announcement wraps up the state police investigation into the Lynch shooting, the Virginia Beach police investigation of Deshayla Harris’ death - the other person fatally shot that night - is ongoing. One video showed the man as officers spoke with him and prosecutors pointed out that his hand was not bleeding at the time. Lang and Stolle spent much of the press conference using the videos to dispel rumors that have been circulating for months, including that another man was shot in the hand by police that night and that he was never interviewed by police. The bullets struck Lynch in two places: in his left arm pit and in his upper left thigh, according to the medical examiner’s report.

Lang said Lynch’s cellphone was in his pocket and was struck by one of the bullets, but his hands weren’t hit, an indication they were not in his pockets. The videos show the gun on the ground near Lynch. The only people besides police seen in the videos are a man who rendered aid to Lynch afterwards and the man who witnessed the shooting. He played a video showing Lynch’s friend walking in front of him before Lynch was hit, but the friend is not seen in any of the videos recorded immediately afterward. Lang said that assertion didn’t match up with the evidence. Lynch’s friend and family have acknowledged Lynch had a gun with him, but said it never left his pocket. “Not a day a day goes by that I don’t think about that night.” “The past eight months have been a trying time for me and my family, as I am sure it has been for the Lynch family,” Simmons said. Simmons issued a statement through an attorney Tuesday evening, saying he was “pleased to have my name cleared of any wrongdoing.” I shot him.” He’s later seen being walked away from the scene by another officer. Simmons can be heard on one body camera recording telling other officers, “The firearm’s right there. Another witness told them he saw Lynch crouching and heard him rack his gun before he was shot.Īn investigation of his gun showed there was a bullet in the chamber ready to be fired, Lang said. He’s got a gun,” and then saw Simmons fire multiple times, according to a recording of his interview with police. One witness told investigators he heard Simmons yell, “He’s got a gun. He also said he heard Lynch rack his gun and saw him rise up with the weapon in his hands, aimed in the direction of a parking lot where multiple people and police officers were gathered. Simmons told investigators he saw Lynch crouched behind a line of bushes near the intersection of 19th Street and Pacific Avenue. The two were walking back to their car when Lynch was shot, according to the family.

Lynch’s family has said he was at a bar with a friend when he learned there’d been gunfire in the area and decided to leave. He failed to turn his body camera back on during the chaos, the prosecutor said. It was while en route to the hospital that Simmons heard more shots, stopped and exited his cruiser, and ran toward the sound, Lang said.