On the evening of Monday, December 15, 2025, a violent incident occurred in the parking lot of a commercial complex on South Military Highway in Chesapeake, Virginia. Officers from the Chesapeake Police Department were dispatched to the 1100 block, near the Long Shots Billiards and Darts establishment, shortly before 7:00 p.m. following reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, first responders discovered a victim suffering from gunshot wounds. Despite the immediate response of emergency personnel, the individual was pronounced deceased at the scene. Authorities quickly secured the area with crime scene tape, and a significant police presence, including forensics units, remained on site for several hours to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fatality.
The victim was identified as Kelvin Earl Smith, a 40-year-old male resident of Chesapeake. Investigators determined that the homicide was domestic in nature and emphasized that the shooting appeared to be an isolated event with no ongoing threat to the general public. In the aftermath of the tragedy, family members spoke to local news outlets, describing the victim as a father who was expecting another child and had been working to turn his life around. The owners of Long Shots Billiards released a statement clarifying that the incident did not involve their business, employees, or patrons, noting that the shooting took place in a shared parking area connected to other local businesses, including a car dealership and a law office.
Following the initial investigation, detectives identified a suspect in connection with the murder. Police obtained warrants for 38-year-old Donelle D. Felder, charging him with murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Law enforcement officials released a description of Felder to the public, identifying him as a Black man standing approximately six feet one inch tall and weighing 245 pounds. As of the days immediately following the shooting, Felder remained at large, with police urging anyone with information regarding his whereabouts to contact the Crime Line, while noting that he was last seen in the vicinity of the 1100 block of Military Highway.
