Two young Virginia police officers died after a late-night traffic stop was over in a fatal shooting.
Officers Cameron Gilbin, 25, and Christopher Reese, 30, were declared dead in hospital after the shooting, according to Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neujate.
The two who were riding together on Friday night pulled over the car for an expired license plate around 11:27pm, Noyjaet said at a press conference on Saturday.
The traffic stop occurred near the intersection of Lynn Haven Parkway and Wendfield Drive in Virginia Beach, next to the apartment.
Virginia Beach police fatally shot and killed two fellow officers in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Friday night. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)
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Both officers approached the vehicle and the male driver, identified as the later convicted felon, John McCoy III, was quickly controversial and refused to get out of the vehicle.
At one point he got out of the car and there was a “fight” between the officer and McCoy.
McCoy pulled a pistol out of his pocket and immediately shot the two officers.
While they were “defensible”, he shot them for the second time, according to Noijaet.
Virginia Beach Police will investigate the fatal shooting of two fellow officers in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Saturday, February 22, 2025. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)
Officers found McCoy in the shed just behind the apartment with a fatal gunshot wound to the head less than an hour after the shooting.
Authorities said the gunshot wounds appeared to be self-harm.
“We're all hurt,” Noisigate said. “We have a family who lost a loved one at the height of our lives, and they are completely devastated. We have a 25-year-old executive. We have been taken meaninglessly.”
Officials are still sorting out their motives, but they said McCoy may have acted because he was a felon, a criminal offence, as he had a gun.
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“We know from his criminal history, he's been convicted of one felony since 2009, so that's not recently, but it makes him a felon,” Neudigate said. Ta. “A felony with a firearm will be a new felony charge.”
Another person was in the car with McCoy at the time of the traffic stop, but no one else would be charged with the shooting, he said.
According to Neudigate, the incident is recorded on cameras with worn-out bodies and in-car cameras.
Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Noyjaet provides the latest information on the shooting deaths of two officers. (WTKR)
“We have all the videos of it and I'll tell you, it's very scary,” he said.
Girvin and Reese began working in the department in 2020.
Before working at the Virginia Beach Police Department, Reese was the deputy sheriff of the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office from 2019 to 2022.
“They were dedicated, fixed peace officers and civil servants,” Noyjaet said. “They had a stellar reputation in our department and their work ethic – beyond the blame. We asked them to go out into this community and keep us safe from evil. And last night, evil found them.”
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Both officers accompanied them during the procession to the inspector's office.
On Saturday morning, the department doubled all officers by car, so there is no one officer on the road.
“What this does is give officers the ability to bring someone to the car and help them handle it, understand what happened and make them feel like they have a similarity in safety. That's it,” Neudigate said.
In July 2020, people gather at the beach in Virginia Beach, Virginia. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)
Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer said the city is “grief.”
“We lament the loss of two of our own brave Virginia Beach police officers who made the ultimate sacrifice,” Dyer said at a press conference. “Their dedication to protecting our community will never be forgotten.
“As we grieve, we cannot alleviate pain and loss. We ask our community to come together. We will ask these officers, their family, friends and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers. Please hold it in.”
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Councilman Jen Kiggangs posted to X to express her sadness.
“This morning, our entire community lamentes the tragic loss of two brave Virginia Beach police officers who were killed in duties last night,” Kiggans wrote.
