In the early hours of a summer morning, the life of Dalen O’Shay Spence, a 25-year-old Black male from Portsmouth, Virginia, was tragically cut short. On July 18, 2022, at approximately 1:50 a.m., Spence was found fatally shot inside a sedan marked with several bullet holes in the 200 block of Paul Revere Drive. Residents in the area reported hearing the sound of multiple gunshots piercing the night.
The Portsmouth Police Department launched an investigation into the shooting death of
the former U.S. Navy sailor. Spence, who was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 9, 1997, had served as an Aviation Ordnanceman. His sudden death left his family and friends mourning the loss of a man they described as having a heart for others and a love for making people smile.
As of the latest available reports, the investigation into Spence's homicide is ongoing, and no arrests have been made. Authorities have released information about a vehicle of interest, a black, four-door Chrysler 300 with a sunroof and no front license plate, which was seen in surveillance footage from the area. The identity of the person or persons responsible for Spence's death remains unknown as detectives continue to seek leads and information from the public.
Adding a layer of complexity to his story, this was not Dalen O'Shay Spence's first encounter with gun violence. In May 2019, at the age of 21 and while an active-duty sailor, Spence was charged with first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in connection with the shooting death of another sailor, 23-year-old Donald Thorington, also in Portsmouth. Spence was released from pretrial confinement in that case, and the final outcome of those charges is not publicly available.
