In the late summer of 2023, the Virginia State University community was struck by tragedy with the loss of a promising young student. Matthew Gibbs, a 19-year-old Black man from Columbia, South Carolina, was a freshman studying Mass Communications and had just begun his journey as a VSU Trojan. His future was cut short by an act of violence that unfolded in Petersburg, Virginia.
On the afternoon of August 24, 2023, police responded to a call around 3:45 p.m.
and found Matthew inside a vehicle near the intersection of West South Boulevard and Wakefield Street, adjacent to Walnut Hill Elementary School. He was suffering from a gunshot wound. A witness reported seeing the driver of the car acting erratically and flagging down police for help. Emergency personnel rushed Matthew to a local hospital, but he was pronounced dead from his injuries. Investigators later determined the shooting had not occurred where he was found, but rather on the 1800 block of Brandon Avenue.
The Petersburg Bureau of Police moved swiftly, and the day after the shooting, they apprehended a suspect. Because the individual was a juvenile, his identity was not publicly released at the time. He was initially charged with second-degree murder, use of a firearm, and firing into an occupied vehicle. The death of Matthew, along with that of another student in a separate incident days later, deeply affected the university. The school’s president expressed profound sadness and anger over the gun violence, and in collaboration with city officials, VSU enhanced security measures on and around campus.
The suspect was later identified as Elijah Mills, who was 16 years old at the time of the crime. In July 2026, a jury found Mills, then 19, guilty of second-degree murder, use of a firearm, conspiracy to commit robbery, and attempted robbery in the fatal shooting of Matthew Gibbs.
As of July 2026, the case is considered solved with the conviction of Elijah Mills. His sentencing was scheduled for November 10, 2026.
