NORFOLK, Virginia — A 23-year-old man has been charged in connection with an overnight shooting that left a woman dead, the Norfolk Police Department said in a news release posted on Sunday, October 25.
Source: Norfolk Police Department (City of Norfolk)
Police said that on October 24, at around 11:45 p.m., they were notified of a woman who had arrived at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital with a life-threatening gunshot wound. The woman, identified as Semaj R. Coleman, 22, of Mollusk, Virginia, later died from her injuries, police said.
Source: Norfolk Police Department — Man charged following shooting on E Virginia Beach Boulevard
Matthew B. Croslin, 23, of Newport News, was taken into custody by police at the scene, the department said. Following the investigation, Croslin has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless handling of a firearm. The charges are allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Source: Norfolk Police Department (City of Norfolk)
The preliminary investigation determined the shooting was accidental and took place at a parking lot in the 5700 block of East Virginia Beach Boulevard, police said. Croslin is being held in Norfolk City Jail without bond.
Source: Norfolk Police Department (City of Norfolk)
Norfolk State University confirmed that Coleman was a senior majoring in Health Services Management, was involved in the university's Spartans Promise to Persist with Purpose (SP3) program, and had recently been inducted into the National Association for Allied Health Professions. The university expressed profound sadness, said counselling and support services would be available, and said there was no known threat to the campus community, according to reporting on the university's statement. A statewide Virginia news briefing from The StatePageVA also independently listed the case on Sunday as an NSU student killed in an accidental shooting in Norfolk.
Source: Reporting on Norfolk State University statement — Coleman, 22, fatally shot in Norfolk
Police had not released further details about the circumstances in the release available at publication time, and the investigation was continuing.