A young reporter was killed in an early morning shooting in a coastal Virginia town over the weekend, CNN reports.
Twenty-five-year-old Sierra Jenkins, of Norfolk, was one of two people who lost their lives on Saturday morning when a shooting broke out on Granby Street, according to the Norfolk Police Department. Three others were wounded when gunfire erupted.
The Virginian-Pilot, where Jenkins worked before she was tragically killed, confirmed her death in a report on Saturday. The journalist's relatives told the publication that she "had been at Chicho's Pizza Backstage with her best friend" moments before the fatal incident.
The outlet reports that Jenkins was on-call for breaking news that evening and that an editor had contacted her "repeatedly to ask her to cover it," not knowing she had already been struck by the lethal bullets.
"We are devastated to report that Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press reporter Sierra Jenkins was among the victims of an overnight shooting in downtown Norfolk," the Pilot tweeted on Saturday morning.
Jenkins' father, Maurice Jenkins of Virginia Beach, spoke to the Virginian-Pilot, telling the newspaper that his daughter had gone out on Friday night with a good friend of hers from middle school.
Rory Schindel, manager of Chicho's Pizza Backstage, said he had seen an argument taking place outside of the eatery moments after last call was announced at approximately 1:30 AM local time on Saturday. He said people had begun to leave the establishment when the shooting started.
Schindel described Jenkins as being part of "a nice group" that "took good care of our bartenders".
"It was just a normal night," the manager told the publication. "There were a lot of people there, as usual, and there was a great atmosphere inside."
Norfolk police officers became aware of the incident on Granby Street around 2 AM, per a statement from the department. When they arrived, officers found five victims who had sustained gunshot injuries.
Chicho's Pizza Backstage "was closing when an argument started outside and Jenkins … was caught in the line of fire as she left," the Pilot reported.
Jenkins was taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The shooting's second victim, 25-year-old Devon M. Harris of Portsmouth, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The three other victims were also taken to the hospital for treatment of their injuries.
.jpg_azx6mQ?tr=h-40)
.jpg_azx6mQ?tr=h-184)
