VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Eight months after his son was shot and killed at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, Wayne Lynch still longs for an explanation about what happened to his son and a chance to clear his name.
"I want to make sure that he's the last person to get killed at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront," he said. "That's my mission, my crusade."
Donovon Lynch, 25 went out with a friend on an unseasonably warm March night. By the time the evening was over, he was one of two people shot and killed in a chaotic series of shootings around 18th, 19th and 20th streets and Pacific Avenue.
At least six other people struck by gunfire survived.
DeShayla Harris, 29, was killed by a stray bullet, but Lynch's fatal wound came from the gun of police officer, Solomon Simmons III.
The officer's body camera was not activated. There is no known video of the incident.
Harris' killer has not been caught.
Who was Donovon Lynch?
Wayne Lynch, a former juvenile behavioral specialist, substitute teacher and coach finds himself pushing back against a narrative that his son was somehow at fault on the night he was killed.
Family and friends describe Donovon as a bright light whose magnetism captured not just their hearts, but those he met along the way in his short lifetime.
"He was a father's dream," said Lynch.
The 25-year-old entrepreneur juggled three businesses; a security company, a vintage shoe company and the talent management group Lead by Example. He was also the Youth Volunteer Coordinator for the "Something in the Water" music festival.
"He loved his family; very strong on family," said Bishop Ezekiel Williams. "His mom, his dad, his sister, his grandparents, his cousins. I remember when he was away at school, he would always come home and worship God in the service."
Williams leads Faith World Ministries in Norfolk, where Donovon was a youth volunteer.
"He did everything he could for me. Whenever I needed him to -- yeah, he definitely watched out for me," said younger sister Lauryn Lynch.
After graduating high school at Norfolk Christian Schools in 2014, Donovon went to City College of San Francisco to play football.
While in Northern California, James and Rochelle Akins became like his adoptive parents, as their son and Lynch played on the same team.
"We took him in and he was more than what his mom said he was -- an amazing, kind, gentle giant, full of love -- an amazing young man. Amazing. He wouldn't hurt a fly," said Rochelle Akins.
"Like I was telling his father, Donovon touched more lives in the 25 years that the Lord spared him to be here than people I've known who've been here twice as long. He was a peacemaker. He was one who unified. His words were positive," added James Akins.
After leaving San Francisco, Donovon went to the University of Virginia at Wise on a football scholarship.
Lynch, visiting his son's gravesite at Princess Anne Memorial Park, presented the 2021 Don Hellison Award for Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) to his son. The honor was posthumously bestowed to Donovon by the TPSR Alliance
"His spirit is with me, his life is with me, his love is with me. Everything he represented is with me. He is me and I'm him. He is me and I am him. He is me and I am him," Lynch repeated.
Hoping for Answers
Ever since March 26, Donovon's friends have been frustrated that answers are not coming more quickly.
State police took over the investigation shortly after the incident. A grand jury began meeting in September.
Still, there's been no conclusion.
State Police spokeswoman Corrine Geller said the investigation remains ongoing at this time, and they don't provide timelines on investigations.
But Darrion Marsh, 25, said he is certain about what happened that night because he was with Donovon. He describes a chaotic situation in which shots began firing near where he and Donovon were, at the Boxx Nightclub.
"I thought it would be great time to just go home," Marsh said.
People began running. Police scrambled to locate suspects, and rescue crews rushed to tend to the injured. Marsh said he and Lynch began walking to Marsh's car, which was parked at 18th Street and Pacific Avenue.
It was during that walk to the car, at 20th Street, that Marsh said he saw Simmons fire the fatal shots.
"To be honest, there wasn't even a question because I seen what happened," he said. "That's the thing about it: nothing even happened for that shooting to go off."
Marsh recognized the shooter as Simmons, a young officer with whom Marsh and Lynch attended Landstown High School in 2009 as freshmen.
Simmons and Marsh were friends.
"And for me to sit back and think... I don't want it to be anyone, but dang, it had to be these two, out of all people."
The key detail in Marsh's account of the events that night is that he emphatically states Lynch never pulled a gun out or brandished one, as the officer is claiming.
Lynch had a legal gun permit.
"He did not do anything wrong," said Marsh.
Over the summer, Wayne Lynch filed a $50 million dollar wrongful death lawsuit against Simmons and the city of Virginia Beach, claiming the shooting was unlawful, without warning and that Simmons failed to render life-saving medical aid.
The officer claims Lynch was "crouching behind shrubbery" and Simmons called out to him after hearing what sounded like the slide of a gun placing a bullet in the chamber. The documents read: "Mr. Lynch rose and turned with a firearm in hand and pointed in Officer Simmons' direction."
Simmons admits he fired his gun and two shots struck Lynch.
But Marsh, who said he was standing behind Lynch, disputes the officer's account and insists Lynch was an innocent victim who never hid behind bushes and was simply walking to the car.
"I could hear him yell 'I'm shot, D, I'm shot!' That's exactly what he used to call me, D. That's the last thing I heard from him."
In an email, Simmons' attorney, Gary Bryant, said Simmons would have no comment while an investigation continues. He wrote:
As you probably know, Mr. Lynch’s death is the subject of an ongoing investigation by both the State Police and Commonwealth Attorney’s Office. As such, it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time except to say that the death of Mr. Lynch was an unfortunate tragedy, that Officer Simmons has fully cooperated with this investigation and that he looks forward to having his name cleared of any wrongdoing when the investigations are complete.
An ongoing investigation into what happened that night isn't stopping the Lynch family's community from rallying around them.
Norfolk Christian Schools paid tribute to their former ambassador before a recent football game.
Family members gathered along the sideline as Director of Advancement, Rick Nikkel, took to the loudspeaker.
"We join with you tonight in celebrating Donovon. Whether on the football field, the basketball court or in our hallways, he was larger than life in the Norfolk Christian community," said Nikkel.
Nikkel announced the school would install a memorial brick in their legacy walk of honor at the entrance to the field in Donovon's memory, and encouraged the audience to support the Donovon Wayne Lynch Foundation.
"I started the Donovon Wayne Lynch Foundation for social and economic justice. It's a platform that we can use to address police brutality and also address the economic disparities in the communities as well," Lynch said, sitting in his Chesapeake home surrounded by stacks of handwritten sympathy cards from the students at Norfolk Christian.
"These students did an amazing job," he said. "All of these are handwritten and decorated by the students at Norfolk Christian."
Lynch picked one up and smileed.
"This one says, 'The Lynch family, praying for you.'"