VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — There are new details into a chaotic situation over the weekend at Town Center in Virginia Beach, and the suspect behind it.
Eric Oliver, 30, of Portsmouth, faces a long list of charges after a shots-fired incident at a parking garage next to Apex Entertainment on Columbus Street.
There were no injuries, but lots of people were left running for their lives.
This is the parking garage where it happened. The Maroon parking garage at the corner of Columbus and Market streets.
It never should have happened because the suspect is a convicted felon and should not have had a gun.
It was a chaotic scene Saturday night at the Apex Entertainment Center parking garage.
When shots rang out, Chris Green was there.
“No sooner was I pulling into the parking garage, and I pulled around the corner, I heard, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow,” Green said. “Everyone started hitting the brakes, wheels were spinning, inside everyone was in a panic.”
On scene, evidence markers show the spent shell casings.
Officers quickly began clearing each level of the garage and eventually located the lone suspect, Oliver.
Green said there was a panic in the air.
“People did not know what to do,” Green said. “They did not know where the shots were coming from. It was kind of scary.”
This is what police say happened, according to court documents:
Oliver was seen shooting firearms in the buildings/parking garages. There was a firearm found on Oliver, who had an extended magazine, and he was a convicted felon.
“Nothing sounded like it was hitting metal, like a car,” Green said. “It was like hitting the walls, and some of them were coming through the walls because some of the shell casings ended up like right outside the entrance.”
The court documents also indicated that “Oliver appeared intoxicated and before the magistrate, he did not remember what had happened,” and “Oliver became aggressive, verbally aggressive with a law enforcement officer.”
When the officer did not back down, Oliver stood up and moved towards him, according to court documents, and after numerous instructions to sit back down, the officer took hold of Oliver, and removed him from the room.”
10 On Your Side went to the house where Oliver claims to live, but no one answered the door, or the Ring doorbell.
10 On Your Side wanted to know what may have motivated Oliver to do what he’s accused of doing, but no one returned our request for call on a note we left.
Oliver currently faces charges of:
- Unlawful shooting into an occupied building
- Use of firearm felony
- Reckless handling of a firearm
- Destruction of property
- Shooting in public place
- Carry loaded firearm in public
“We were concerned … because a bullet has no name,” Green said, “and you got a parking garage full of innocent people and there is a shooting. You do not know who they are shooting at, or what they are shooting for, but it was unnecessary.”
The checklist for bail determination, which was denied to Oliver, includes a section for prior criminal record which includes charges dating back to 2012:
- 2012 petit larceny (misdemeanor), shoplifting (misdemeanor)
- 2013 resist arrest (misdemeanor)
- 2014 concealed weapon (misdemeanor), felony unlawful bodily injury, misdemeanor assault
- 2015 revocation of suspended sentence (misdemeanor)
- 2016 felony possession of firearm by felon, PWID marijuana (misdemeanor)
- 2021 felony possession of a firearm by felon, felony probation violation