Death of UVA-Wise graduate spurs new body camera policy for Virginia Beach police officers

Police in the city of Virginia Beach will require officers’ body cameras to be activated immediately when a police officer marks “en route” to a call for service.

The previous body camera policy required officers to activate cameras as soon as they arrived on the scene and as soon as it was “safe and practical to do so,” WAVY-TV reported this week

The change in policy falls in the wake of the fatal police shooting of Donovon Lynch on the city’s oceanfront in late March. Lynch was a cousin of Virginia Beach native and Grammy-winning musician Pharrell Williams.

Police said the body camera worn by the officer who shot Lynch was not activated for unknown reasons.

Lynch’s shooting has drawn calls for a thorough and transparent investigation from Williams and others. It remains under investigation.

Both Lynch and the police officer who shot him are Black. That officer and another officer who saw Lynch’s shooting have both said that Lynch had a handgun, according to police.

(IMAGE: ST929 ARCHIVES)