On a late Friday night in June of 2018, the life of 21-year-old Glenn Lamont Travers, a Black male, was tragically cut short in Newport News, Virginia. The evening of June 29th found Travers at the intersection of Dresden Drive and Tricia Lane, where the sound of gunfire rang out. When police responded to the call at 9:55 p.m., they discovered Travers with at least one gunshot wound. He was rushed to a local hospital, but his injuries proved to be too severe.
In the early hours of the following morning, at 1:03 a.m. on June 30, 2018, Glenn Travers succumbed to his injuries.
The location of Travers' shooting was already tense, as it was the same area where a 24-year-old woman, Eimaja Jada Harris, had been found shot to death just a day earlier. This fact cast a shadow of fear and uncertainty over the community. Travers, a resident of Virginia Beach and a graduate of Warwick High School who had attended Chowan University and Tidewater Community College, was described by friends as someone who was not involved in gang activity and was simply minding his own business. Friends believed he may have been the victim of a random act of violence, possibly a stray bullet in a neighborhood that had been experiencing ongoing issues with gun violence.
In the wake of his death, the Newport News Police Department promptly upgraded their investigation to a homicide. The then newly sworn-in Police Chief, Steve Drew, acknowledged the recent spike in homicides in the city and emphasized the need for community trust to help solve these cases. Despite efforts to increase patrols in high-crime areas, the investigation into Glenn Travers' murder has been met with challenges. Residents have reportedly been reluctant to come forward with information. As a result, there have been no arrests made in connection with his death, and no suspects have been publicly identified. The investigation into the shooting remains open, leaving a painful void for a family and community still waiting for justice.
