On the evening of August 14, 2024, a burst of violence at Community Beach Park in Norfolk, Virginia, cut short the life of 20-year-old Andrew F. Saafi Jr. Norfolk police were called to the park, located at 700 E. Ocean View Avenue, around 6:20 p.m. following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, officers discovered that Saafi had already been taken to a local hospital by other means, suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound.
Despite the urgent medical attention he received,
Saafi succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. The incident left his family and friends to mourn the sudden and tragic loss of a young man they remembered as a cherished individual. A viewing was held for him on August 28, 2024, followed by a celebration of his life the next day at Metropolitan Funeral Service in Norfolk.
For months, the Norfolk Police Department investigated the homicide, urging anyone with information to come forward. Their investigation eventually led them to a suspect. On January 10, 2025, police arrested 20-year-old Zion K. Holmes of Virginia Beach in connection with the fatal shooting.
Holmes was taken into custody in the 1600 block of Brambleton Avenue. He has since been charged with second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and robbery. He is currently being held without bond in the Norfolk City Jail as the legal proceedings in the case against him continue.
