Virginia Beach Oceanfront shooting leaves multiple people wounded, police investigate

Shortly before 10 p.m. on April 11, gunfire erupted in the 1400 block of Atlantic Avenue at Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront, leaving multiple people with gunshot wounds who were transported to area hospitals, the Virginia Beach Police Department said. Officers arriving at Atlantic and 14th Street found victims on scene; at publication the exact number and severity of injuries had not been publicly confirmed. Local television crews and on-scene video showed a large police, forensics and EMS response as investigators secured the boardwalk entertainment district.

The Virginia Beach Police Department established a crime scene, canvassed businesses and witnesses, and began review of surveillance footage from the Oceanfront corridor, according to department statements. Investigators coordinated with emergency medical services to move wounded people to nearby hospitals and asked the public to avoid the 1400 block while evidence collection continued. The department asked anyone with tips or video to contact VBPD at 757-385-4101 or to submit anonymous leads through Crime Solvers at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or the department’s online tip portal; detectives said they would release victim counts, suspect descriptions and arrest information as it becomes available.

Patrons and staff at nearby venues reported a chaotic scene as first responders worked. People who left shows and restaurants described fleeing or taking cover after hearing repeated shots; one social-media-posted eyewitness said they were startled by a "series of close range gunshots" while walking toward a vehicle. Media crews captured the Oceanfront boardwalk quickly cordoned off and a sustained visible law enforcement presence, and preliminary reporting on scene indicated authorities believed there was no longer an active threat to the public.

The April 11 Oceanfront shooting arrives less than five weeks after a March 7 late-night shooting on Atlantic Avenue that injured six people. That March investigation produced multiple arrests and felony charges: Matheus F. Cavalcante was arrested March 8 and later charged, and additional arrests in March and March 24 included Jamari D. Horton, Andrew P. Anthony, Alex G. Scott Jr., and Ba’Shaun C. Williams. Court filings and surveillance cited in the March case describe an attempted robbery that escalated into an exchange of gunfire that struck bystanders, and VBPD press releases listed counts such as attempted robbery, aggravated malicious wounding, and using a firearm in the commission of a felony.

City officials enacted targeted measures after the March incident, instituting an "imminent threat" weekend curfew for unaccompanied minors in the Oceanfront zone, effective March 13, with restricted hours from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., and moving the citywide minor curfew to 10 p.m. effective March 19, 2026. Those steps were designed to give police more tools for crowd management in the Rudee Park to 31st Street Oceanfront zone, which remains a major tourist corridor and a focal point for public-safety planning.

Investigators said they will reconstruct a timeline from 911 calls, surveillance, witness statements and ballistic evidence to determine motive and whether more than one shooter was involved. The April 11 shooting is likely to prompt renewed scrutiny of patrol levels, event security and the recent curfew and enforcement measures as city officials, visitors and workers evaluate whether those policies reduce late-night violence at the Oceanfront.