A shooting outside a Virginia bar early Saturday morning resulted in two deaths, including a reporter for The Virginian-Pilot.
CNN reports that Sierra Jenkins, a 25-year-old journalist who covered education for the Pilot and the Daily Press, was caught in the crossfire of a shooting in downtown Norfolk, Virginia. Jenkins was leaving Chicho’s Pizza Backstage in Norfolk, when an argument erupted outside the restaurant around 1:30 a.m.
Law enforcement arrived on the scene just before 2 a.m. to reports of multiple gunshot victims. When police found Jenkins with injuries that were life-threatening, she was rushed to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital where she was later pronounced dead.
When the shooting occurred, Jenkins was contacted by her editor to cover the incident because she was on a breaking news shift.
“When he didn’t hear back, we called in another reporter,” Kris Worrell, editor-in-chief of Virginia Media, told CNN. “In reporting the story of the shooting, we discovered that Sierra was one of the victims.”
Another victim, identified as 25-year-old Devon Harris, was pronounced dead at the scene. There is currently no suspect information, as homicide detectives continue to investigate the fatal shooting.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Georgia State University in December 2019, Jenkins was an intern at Atlanta Magazine and CNN before joining the Pilot in December 2020.
“Sierra was a bright and talented woman with so much going for her. Her passion for journalism was undeniable and our community is better because of her reporting,” Worrell said in a statement. “Sierra was funny and energetic and full of enthusiasm. We are absolutely heartbroken.”
Norfolk commonwealth’s attorney, Ramin Fatehi, took to Twitter on Saturday to send his condolences, while assuring the victims’ families that law enforcement will “do our utmost to seek justice and accountability with the laws we have.”
Fatehi continued, “The solutions to gun violence start with good personal choices and sensible reforms to our national and state laws to keep guns out of the hands of bad actors. We must come together.”
