A former cast member from the final season of Bad Girls Club was gunned down during the Virginia Beach shootings.
Deshayla ‘Shay’ Harris, 29, was identified by family and friends as the woman who was gunned down during the chaotic night in Virginia Beach on Friday.
According to the Virginia Beach Police Department, Harris’s body was located on the 300 block of 19th Street, near Pacific Avenue, after authorities heard gunshots near the initial crime scene at Atlantic Avenue at 20th Street in the Oceanfront Resort area.
She died at the scene, police shared in the press release – not naming Harris as the victim.
Deshayla ‘Shay’ Harris, 29, was identified by family and friends as the woman who was gunned down during the chaotic night in Virginia Beach on Friday.
Harris’s body was located on the 300 block of 19th Street, near Pacific Avenue, after authorities heard gunshots near the initial crime scene at Atlantic Avenue at 20th Street in the Oceanfront Resort area
Just hours before the shootings, Harris took to Instagram to share a number of Boomerang clips of her enjoying her night out at what appears to be a restaurant.
She said in the post: ‘I’m only doing shit that’s gonna make me elevate..!!’
Fans and loved ones added their condolences under the post and also took to other social media platforms to remember Harris.
‘I didn’t get a txt from you this morning you broke my heart Deshayla Shay Harris why you leave us like this my heart hurt so bad bae why you do this man,’ said her sister, Tashara ‘Shani’ Harris, on Facebook. Shani said that the pair texted everyday.
Just hours before the shootings, Harris took to Instagram to share a number of Boomerang clips of her enjoying her night out at what appears to be a restaurant
‘I didn’t get a txt from you this morning you broke my heart Deshayla Shay Harris why you leave us like this my heart hurt so bad bae why you do this man,’ said her sister, Tashara ‘Shani’ Harris, on Facebook
The Norfolk, Virginia, resident appeared in the 17th season of BGC, a reality show known for its loud arguments and wild fights. Her nickname was the ‘Firecracker Fashionista.’
Several of her former castmates took to social media to remember Harris and their shock at the news of her death.
‘No matter how much I refused to talk to you…you never took no for an answer you popped up to my show just to prove fixing our friendship meant something to you,’ fellow BGC castmate Keyaira ‘Key’ Hamilton said in an Instagram tribute to Harris.
‘Hardest part about losing you is I never fully forgave you. I literally let that TV sh*t stand between us building a connection outside of tv. you didn’t deserve this man this sh*t jus don’t feel real ….I’m sick affffff.’
The Norfolk, Virginia, resident (third from left) appeared in the 17th season of BGC, a reality show known for its loud arguments and wild fights
Several of her former castmates took to social media to remember Harris and their shock at the news of her death. Keyaira ‘Key’ Hamilton shared a tribute to Instagram
Hamilton also took to her Instagram story to share more tributes to the slain reality star
Briana ‘Bri’ Walker, the replacement cast member from the season, added: ‘Last night we lost one of our BGC sisters. RIP Deshayla.’
‘My heart is shaking right now,’ said Kiyanna ‘Kiki’ Bygrave. ‘You didn’t deserve this at all, I can’t believe this is even true Shay.’
She added: ‘This is truly horrendous and unimaginable.’
Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said that the incidents unfolded at least three separate crime scenes, and police were working to determine whether and how the events were connected.
Briana ‘Bri’ Walker, the replacement cast member from the season, added: ‘Last night we lost one of our BGC sisters. RIP Deshayla’
Walker also took to her Instagram story to share more clips of Harris
‘My heart is shaking right now,’ said Kiyanna ‘Kiki’ Bygrave. ‘You didn’t deserve this at all, I can’t believe this is even true Shay’
‘What you can see is we have a very chaotic incident. A very chaotic night in the beach. Many crime scenes,’ Neudigate said at a press conference after 1am on Saturday.
In the first incident to unfold, eight people were shot and injured at 20th and Atlantic Avenue. As cops were responding to that scene, additional shots were fired about a block west, and that shooter was killed by ‘police intervention’, Neudigate said.
Police and family members identified the man who was shot as 25-year-old Donavan Lynch of Virginia Beach.
‘He was a smart, loving, adorable and all around great young man, that I was very close to,’ the man’s aunt, Venita Lynch Alukwu, said in a Saturday post. ‘He was Murdered in his hometown, Virginia Beach by a Virginia Beach Police last night.’
Police and family members identified the man who was shot as 25-year-old Donavan Lynch of Virginia Beach
Police said 22-year-old Ahmon Jahree Adams (left), 18-year-old Nyquez Tyyon Baker (right), and 20-year-old Devon Maurice Dorsey Jr. have been arrested
Virginia Beach Police added that the preliminary investigation found that the group at the first scene had gotten into ‘some type of conflict that resulted in a physical fight.’
‘At some point during the physical altercation, several individuals produced firearms and began shooting at each other, resulting in numerous people being wounded,’ police added in the release.
Police said 22-year-old Ahmon Jahree Adams, 18-year-old Nyquez Tyyon Baker, and 20-year-old Devon Maurice Dorsey Jr. have been arrested, WAVY reports.
Police believe the shooting of Harris is unconnected to both other scene. A police officer was also struck by a car in the chaos, but is expected to survive.
Police converged on the shore in Virginia Beach on Friday night after chaotic shootings left multiple people with potential life-threatening injuries
Police now have several people in custody being questioned about the incident.
Dispatchers said the first call reporting a shooting came in at around 11.24pm from the 1900 block of Pacific Avenue, an oceanfront stretch with several fast food restaurants and bars.
‘VBPD is investigating a shooting involving several victims with possibly life-threatening injuries,’ the Virginia Beach Police Department said in a statement.
‘Large police presence at the oceanfront between 17th and 22nd St. Please avoid the area at this time. More to follow as it becomes available.’
After midnight, there was a massive police presence in the area, an oceanfront strip lined with budget hotels, parking lots, bars and fast food restaurants.
‘Not sure I’ve ever seen a scene this big’ said WAVY-TV reporter Brett Hall of the massive police presence blocking off numerous oceanfront blocks
Emergency radio broadcasts indicated that there were multiple potential crime scenes and potential armed subjects on the loose.
Radio traffic suggested that a McDonald’s restaurant was considered one of the shooting scenes.
Social media posts from earlier in the evening show a crowded, Spring Break atmosphere in the area with large groups gathering by the shore.
Individuals were seen dancing on top of cars and stopping traffic to dance in the street before the shooting unfolded.
