There was a deadly weekend of shootings in Virginia Beach back in March, and sadly, Pharrell Williams’s cousin was one of the victims. We previously reported on 25-year-old Donovan Lynch being shot and killed by a Virginia Beach officer, and more information about the altercation is being shared now that Lynch’s father, Wayne Lynch, has filed a federal lawsuit.
According to NBC News, it was on March 26 when Donovan was spending time with a friend at a restaurant when police were investigating three separate shootings in the oceanfront area. The slain man’s father reportedly states in the lawsuit that Donovan didn’t pose a threat to police and was “unlawfully” killed by an officer named Solomon Simmons.
It’s reported that while Donovan and his friend were at the restaurant, they heard gunfire. They decided it was time to leave so they began walking to their vehicles and it was there that they were confronted by Officer Simmons. The lawsuit also reads that Donovan wasn’t named as a suspect to whatever event Simmons was summoned to, thus suggesting either the officer didn’t properly identify himself and-or he did not take the time to properly identify Donovan.
“Immediately, unlawfully, and without warning, Officer Simmons fired his police-issued firearm at Mr. Lynch, shooting him twice and killing him,” the lawsuit reportedly states. “At all relevant times, Mr. Lynch was not speaking or acting in a manner that would suggest that he posed any threat, let alone a deadly threat, to Officer Simmons or anyone else.”
The lawsuit also alleges that the “shooting was motivated at least in part by Mr. Lynch’s race as a Black man.” Authorities claim that Donovan was armed at the time he was shot and they reportedly shared a photo of the firearm they say belonged to him. They accused Donovan of “brandishing” the weapon before being killed.
Wayne Lynch has named both Simmons and the City of Virginia Beach in his lawsuit. He is seeking $50 million in damages. Check out a portion of a previous press conference with Wayne Lynch below.