In the late hours of September 18, 2020, the life of 18-year-old Valentina Delva, a Black female, was tragically cut short in Terre Haute, Indiana. A freshman nursing student at Indiana State University, Delva was just beginning her collegiate journey, having recently graduated from Pike High School. On that fateful night, she attended an off-campus party near the intersection of South 6th and Poplar streets.
As the party, attended by 50 to 100 people, was winding down, Delva was the
front-seat passenger in a car leaving the gathering. Between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m., gunfire erupted, and a bullet struck Delva. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other men were also injured in the shooting but sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
In the wake of the shooting, the Terre Haute Police Department launched an investigation that led to the arrests of two men, 22-year-old David Farrell and 20-year-old Wesley Meadows. They were charged with criminal recklessness in connection to Delva's death and held without bond in the Vigo County Jail. While these arrests were made, no one has been directly charged with her murder, and the investigation remains active. The university community mourned the loss of the vibrant young student, with Indiana State University offering counseling services to those affected by the tragedy.
