Norfolk State student dies after parking-lot shooting; police call it accidental
Norfolk police say a 22-year-old Norfolk State University student died after sustaining a gunshot wound late Saturday night in a parking lot on East Virginia Beach Boulevard. A 23-year-old Newport News man has been arrested and charged in the matter as investigators concluded the shooting was accidental.
Officers were alerted around 11:45 p.m. Saturday after the woman arrived at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital with a life-threatening gunshot injury, according to the Norfolk Police Department. She later died from her wounds; the university identified her as a senior majoring in health services management.
Authorities took Matthew B. Croslin, 23, of Newport News into custody at the scene and charged him with involuntary manslaughter and reckless handling of a firearm. Croslin is being held in Norfolk City Jail without bond pending prosecution.
"The preliminary investigation determined the shooting was accidental,"
Norfolk police said the shooting occurred in a parking lot in the 5700 block of East Virginia Beach Boulevard. They described the incident as unintentional after conducting an initial investigation at the scene.
Campus community and programs affected
Norfolk State University confirmed the student was a senior in the health services management program and that she participated in the university’s Spartans Promise to Persist with Purpose program. The school said she had also been recently inducted into the National Association for Allied Health Professionals.
The loss reverberates locally: the victim was both a student and an active member of university programs that aim to support academic persistence and allied-health careers. The university announcement underlines how sudden violence can disrupt academic pipelines and the support structures that help retain students from Norfolk and the surrounding region.
Local consequences and next steps
This case intersects public-safety concerns, campus wellbeing and local criminal justice procedures. The charges — involuntary manslaughter and reckless handling of a firearm — indicate prosecutors allege negligence rather than an intentional act. If the case proceeds to trial, court records and charging documents will offer a fuller account of the events and how state law applies to accidental firearm injuries.
- Victim: 22-year-old Norfolk State University senior, health services management
- Arrested: Matthew B. Croslin, 23, Newport News
- Charges: Involuntary manslaughter; reckless handling of a firearm
- Location: 5700 block of East Virginia Beach Boulevard
- Hospital: Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
The immediate public-safety response included an on-scene investigation and an arrest. City and university officials will likely face questions about safety in areas where students live, work and socialize, and whether additional outreach, counseling or security measures are needed — particularly after a fatality linked to an accidental discharge.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Time reported | About 11:45 p.m., Oct. 24 |
| Location | 5700 block, E. Virginia Beach Blvd. |
| Victim | 22-year-old Norfolk State University senior |
| Arrestee | Matthew B. Croslin, 23, Newport News |
| Charges | Involuntary manslaughter; reckless handling of a firearm |
For Norfolk residents, the incident raises immediate public-safety questions: how accidental firearm discharges are investigated locally, what safeguards are in place in mixed-use commercial and student neighborhoods, and how community supports respond when young residents are lost to sudden violence. The university and police did not release additional details about any relationship between the victim and the suspect, nor about how the firearm was accessed.
As the case moves through the criminal justice system, prosecutors will evaluate evidence and determine next steps. Meanwhile, Norfolk State University and local community groups may expand outreach to students and families to address grief, campus safety concerns and prevention strategies.
Police asked anyone with information about the incident to contact the Norfolk Police Department. Further updates are expected as investigators and prosecutors develop the case.
