NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A 25-year-old Norfolk man has been charged in connection to an overnight shooting in Downtown Norfolk that left four people injured, including a Norfolk Sheriff’s Deputy.
According to police, they responded to the report of a shooting around 1:15 a.m. Friday, August 5, in the 200 block of East Plume Street at Legacy Restaurant and Lounge. That’s not far from Macarthur Center.
Upon arriving on scene, police located four victims with non life-threatening gunshot wounds. The victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Among the injured is a Norfolk Sheriff’s Deputy.
Watch the full press conference below:
During a news conference Friday afternoon, police identified the suspect as 25-year-old Tyshawn M. Gray of Norfolk.
Gray has been charged with one count of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, three counts malicious wounding, four counts use of a firearm, and one count of discharging a firearm in public.
At this time, police are not looking for other suspects.
Interim Chief of Police Michael Goldsmith says the shooting stemmed from an altercation that began inside Legacy Club at 216 E Plume Street.
“While patrons were exiting the club, the suspect began to fire into the crowd,” Goldsmith said.
Goldsmith continued by saying that NPD officers and Sheriff’s Office deputies were already on the scene and were assisting with crowd control when the shooting occurred.
Norfolk Sheriff Joseph Baron confirmed the on-duty Sheriff’s Deputy injured was working in an extra duty capacity in the area when he received a gunshot wound to the leg. Barron says he has been released from the hospital and is in good spirits. The deputy is 30 years old and has been with the Sheriff’s Office three years, but his name will not be released to the public.
“The officers being present absolutely prevented something worse from happening,” said Sheriff Baron.
“My deputy was in full uniform. No shots were fired back at the suspect. The deputy was not alone.”
After Friday’s overnight incident, Norfolk City Manager Chip Filer said establishments in the downtown area should not claim immunity for actions that happen outside their establishment and that they should expect to be called to speak with City Council about why their business should stay in the area.
“I think it is safe to say that every establishment in the entertainment district downtown should begin preparing to come to this council and explain why they should continue to operate downtown,” said Filer. “That explanation should include very clearly, what benefits you provide to the overall culture, health and entertainment of our citizens by way of your establishment operating in the downtown district.”
Norfolk City Manager Chip Filer
The Council will also be discussing if establishments should be allowed to stay open into the overnight hours.
“Make no mistake operating downtown in Norfolk is a privilege,” Filer stated.
Filer also stated that the city has taken many measures to try and minimize the violence outside of the establishments.
“We talked about several of the initiatives we were doing to try and deter the violence we were seeing Downtown. Among those were an enhanced police presence, which we did have again last night, partnering with the sheriff’s office… as well as the portable cameras that we’ve had on Granby Street,” said Filer. “We saw again last night, individuals that are coming down thinking they will get away with this kind of behavior are wrong. We have made arrests in every single one of these high-profile cases. We made an arrest within minutes last night.”
The injured deputy was working alongside Norfolk Police as part of the partnership Filer mentioned.
The Norfolk Police Department is handling the investigation. Meanwhile, Tyshawn Gray is being held by the Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office as a courtesy, due to the involvement of a Norfolk deputy.
WAVY News responded to the shooting scene in the early stages of the investigation Friday morning.
One witness said she could hear the shooting occur as she was leaving the area.
“I was walking and I see a man fussing. We go get in the car. About three minutes later, shots, a lot of shots: boom, boom, boom, boom,” Mahogany Lynn said. “Just stop the violence. It’s getting out of hand. It’s ridiculous. You can’t even enjoy yourself anymore.”
If you have any information about this case, you can submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-888-LOCK-U-UP, downloading the P3 tips app to a mobile device, or visiting www.P3tips.com and submitting a tip.