In the winter of 2013, a mother's instinct to protect her children ended in a tragic loss of life in Newport News, Virginia. Phyllis Felicia Fee Vinston, a 27-year-old Black female, was fatally shot on the evening of Saturday, January 5, 2013. The incident that claimed her life unfolded at the Marshall Court Apartments, leaving a community in mourning and her two young sons without their mother.
On that fateful night, gunshots rang out while Vinston's two sons, aged five and seven, were
playing outside. In a final act of love, she rushed out to bring them to safety. Tragically, she was caught in the crossfire and struck by a bullet. Despite being hit, she managed to make her way to a courtyard a block away before she collapsed. Her five-year-old son is said to have witnessed the shooting.
The investigation into the senseless killing quickly led to the apprehension of two suspects. Within days of the shooting, two teenagers, aged 15 and 16, were taken into custody. The 16-year-old was apprehended at an apartment off J. Clyde Morris Blvd, while the 15-year-old was detained at the scene of the crime. Both were charged with murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a juvenile. Due to their status as minors, their names were not publicly released. The two were held in juvenile detention as the police continued their investigation to determine if Vinston was the intended target or an innocent bystander caught in a violent act.
