At around 9:45 p.m. on Wednesday, February 27, 2025, multiple gunshots were heard across campus, originating from Parking Lot 3 near Broderick Dining Commons on the Old Dominion University campus.
Two young men, later identified as 18-year-old Delanio Vick and 20-year-old Timothy Williams, suffered serious injuries from the shooting. The two were taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where they later succumbed to their injuries.
The victims were not ODU students, but both were residents of Norfolk. Parking Lot 3, located beside Broderick Dining Commons and Dominion house, is also notably close to many student dormitories and community centers, including an Islamic center and a church.
At 10:02 p.m., ODU Police issued an urgent alert over text and email informing students of a shooting incident, ordering students to remain inside until further notice. At 11:43 p.m. that same night, the lockdown notice was lifted, with ODU police declaring that “There is no ongoing threat to the ODU community.”
In light of this recent incident, a debate has arisen with regards to the university’s policies surrounding policing and student safety. This event has left many Old Dominion students feeling angry and unsafe, as this is not the first shooting most ODU students have lived through, nor is it the only violent crime that occurred in proximity to student housing in the recent past.
In the early morning of September 3, 2024, students on the second floor of the Scotland House student dormitory were held hostage at gunpoint and robbed of their belongings, before the suspects fled the scene. All suspects were later apprehended and there is no apparent connection between the crimes, but some students have drawn parallels to highlight a perceived lack of campus security and the pervasive nature of violent crime in and around Old Dominion.
