In the early evening of April 13, 2022, tragedy struck in Hampton, Virginia, irrevocably altering the lives of a young family. Eric Lydell Pridgen Jr., a 19-year-old Black or African American male from Newport News, was in front of an apartment in the 3700 block of Kecoughtan Road when the spring air was shattered by the sound of gunfire. At approximately 8:03 p.m., emergency services received a call about a shooting and dispatched officers to the scene.
Upon their arrival, they discovered Pridgen suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
He was swiftly transported to a local hospital, his life hanging precariously in the balance. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, the injuries he sustained proved to be too severe. In the early morning hours of April 14, 2022, Eric Lydell Pridgen Jr. succumbed to his wounds and was pronounced dead. The incident, which began as a shooting investigation, was now being treated as a homicide.
The preliminary investigation into the shooting revealed a chilling sequence of events. Witnesses at the scene described seeing a grey Nissan with tinted windows arrive in the area shortly before the shooting. Two individuals reportedly exited the vehicle and opened fire on Pridgen and another person. Following the assault, the shooters fled the scene, leaving chaos and a critically wounded young man behind.
The Hampton Police Division is actively investigating the homicide and is seeking the public's assistance in identifying the suspect or suspects involved in this act of violence. The motive and the specific circumstances leading up to the shooting remain under investigation. To date, no arrests have been publicly announced, and the case remains an active and open investigation. Law enforcement encourages anyone with information that could assist in bringing those responsible to justice to come forward.
