Jameel Niam Simmons, a 26-year-old male, tragically lost his life on April 26, 2015, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The father of two young children, both under the age of one at the time, was fatally shot in an encounter that stemmed from a domestic dispute. The incident unfolded in the early morning hours, just before 3 a.m., in the 700 block of St.
Matthews Square in the Hilltop area.
The events leading to the fatal shooting began when a female acquaintance of Simmons, described as his on-again, off-again girlfriend, began texting him about money she believed he owed her. She also informed him that she might be pregnant. At the time, she was with another man, Michael Allen Casey, whom she had brought back to her home after they had drinks at a local bar. Despite the woman telling Simmons not to come over, he showed up at her residence while Casey was still present. Simmons began knocking on the windows and doors.
Eventually, Casey opened the front door, leading to a struggle with Simmons. During the altercation, Casey brandished a gun and pointed it at Simmons's chest. Simmons reportedly asked, 'Are you going to shoot me, bro?' before Casey fired, shooting him in the abdomen and the back. After the shooting, Casey fled the scene with the firearm. Police arrived to find Simmons wounded and transported him to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Michael Allen Casey, who was 23 at the time, was later arrested and charged in connection with the death. During the investigation, Casey admitted to shooting Simmons but claimed it was in self-defense, although there was no evidence to suggest that Simmons was armed. In November 2015, a jury found Casey guilty of voluntary manslaughter and use of a firearm. The jury recommended a sentence of eight years in prison. He was formally sentenced in March 2016 to a total of eight years behind bars—five for voluntary manslaughter and three for the use of a firearm—followed by two years of post-incarceration supervision.
