Azarieus Jozsiah Wooden Hill, a 17-year-old male from Hopewell, Virginia, was killed in a shooting on June 14, 2026. The incident unfolded early on a Sunday morning at the Summit Apartments in the 1000 block of Langston Park Drive, off Winston Churchill Drive, where Hopewell police were called shortly before 1:15 a.m. When officers arrived, they found Azarieus suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He died from his injuries at the scene.
The shooting also left another juvenile injured. Police said officers quickly spotted a suspect vehicle leaving the area at high speed, leading to a brief pursuit. After the chase, two juvenile suspects were taken into custody. One of them had been shot during the initial incident and was transported to a local hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening.
Both juvenile suspects were charged with several misdemeanor offenses, including juvenile in possession of a firearm, reckless handling of a firearm, discharging a firearm within city limits, and eluding police. Authorities said additional charges were pending, and both suspects were being held at a juvenile detention facility while the investigation continued.
In the immediate aftermath, Hopewell police treated the case as an active and developing investigation. They asked anyone with information to contact Lead Detective Ryan Glasco with the Hopewell Criminal Investigations Unit or submit anonymous tips through the Hopewell Prince George Crime Solvers hotline or the P3 Tips app. Online memorial sources later identified the teen killed in the Hopewell shooting as Azarieus Jozsiah Wooden Hill and listed his death as a loss to gun violence in Hopewell on June 14, 2026.
