VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A local delegate who claims to have a laptop discovered in a condo belonging to the Virginia Beach mass shooter, says she would like the Department of Justice to have it.
In a statement Thursday, Delegate Kelly Convirs-Fowler acknowledged that several attorneys, as well as the Virginia Beach Police Department, have reached out to her asking for the laptop.
View the full statement from Delegate Kelly Convirs-Fowler here
Former Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax voiced his concern regarding Convirs-Fowler’s possession of the laptop.
“No one has given a justification as to why you (Convirs-Fowler) would withhold that property, that laptop and the truths contained in there,” said Fairfax in a public statement on Wednesday.
Since announcing her possession of the laptop, Convirs-Fowler has handed it over to her attorney. She says they are now working to give it to the Department of Justice, with the ultimate goal of “transparency and accountability.”
On Monday, Convirs-Fowler announced that she had the personal laptop, believed to belong to the Virginia Beach mass shooter. The family of one of the victims now owns the mass shooter’s condo, after a deed transfer, which is where and how the laptop was reportedly discovered.
Convirs-Fowler believes law enforcement overlooked the possible evidence.
“A missed piece of evidence, like a laptop, doesn’t need to go to the Investigative Authority that missed the piece of evidence to begin with or a private attorney that has a potential financial interest in the laptop,” said Convirs-Fowler in the statement Thursday. “This missed evidence needs to go to a higher investigative authority, so I ask the DOJ to take the laptop.”
On Tuesday, she confirmed to WAVY that she provided Jason Nixon, the husband of one of the mass shooting victims, a copy of the contents of the laptop. Nixon is currently being represented by Fairfax, along with several families whose loved ones were murdered during the May 2019 mass shooting.
The Law Office of Justin E. Fairfax, PLLC and Martin Law PLLC, with Attorney Thomas B. Martin, now legally represent the families of:
- Kate Nixon
- Michelle “Missy” Langer
- Joshua O. Hardy
- Laquita C. Brown
Convirs-Fowler stated that “many survivors of the shooting, family members of victims, as well as city employees” have asked her to take the laptop to a “higher authority.”
“This is about justice for the victims, the families, the survivors, the employees, and all of Virginia
Beach. Virginia Beach wants to heal, but we cannot without transparency from our leadership.”
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.