NORFOLK, Va. — A group of Black Virginia lawmakers are weighing in on the high-profile death of 25-year-old Donovon Lynch.
Wednesday night, the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus officially called for justice and stated their support to the family of Donovon Lynch, as they sue the city of Virginia Beach and Virginia Beach Police Officer Solomon Simmons in a $50 million federal wrongful death lawsuit.
Simmons shot and killed Lynch in March of 2021 during a night of chaos at the Virginia Beach oceanfront, but a special grand jury did not find probable cause to charge him.
More than a year and a half after the fact, investigators have also not identified who shot and killed 29-year-old Deshayla Harris that night.
RELATED: Oceanfront shootings: One year later
In Wednesday's statement, the VLBC says there has been "no accountability" for Lynch's death.
“I think overall, Virginia Beach has done a poor job with transparency when it comes to what led up to Donovon’s death. The family deserves to know what happened to their loved one," caucus member and Del. Angelia Williams Graves said,
Her district encompasses both Norfolk and a portion of Virginia Beach.
The VLBC is made up of 21 Black legislators from across the Commonwealth, including several from the Tidewater region.
Williams Graves added that in her view, justice for the family includes some form of monetary settlement.
“People ask what justice looks like, justice in my opinion looks like this should not have happened in the first place. But in light of us not being able to reverse the clock, it's about transparency, it's about accountability, and some type of monetary acknowledgement," she said.
The statement in its entirety is as follows:
The members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus (VLBC) want to reaffirm that justice must be done for Donovon Lynch—who should still be alive today. Donovon was tragically shot and killed by a Virginia Beach Police Officer nearly two years ago.
We are certain that these past years without Donovon have been a deeply painful and emotional time and experience for his family. To date, there has been no accountability–either civil or criminal–for the death of Donovon Lynch. The members of the VLBC extend their support to the Lynch family in their pursuit of justice for Donovon.
Our prayers are with the Lynch family and we sincerely hope that they will soon find some comfort and peace as they continue to seek justice for Donovon and mourn his tragic and deeply impactful loss.
The trial is scheduled for the first week of April 2023.