Shots fired arrest follows ballistic link in Virginia Beach case
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – A gunfire incident reported months ago from a moving vehicle has now resulted in felony and misdemeanor charges after ballistic evidence and a multi-agency investigation led police to identify and arrest a suspect.
Virginia Beach Police said the case traces back to a shots fired call in the 1200 block of Edenham Court, where officers responded to reports that an individual discharged a firearm from a moving vehicle. No injuries were reported at the time.
Later investigation connected the case to a separate firearm-related offense investigated weeks afterward. During that incident, officers identified similarities that prompted further review. A subsequent traffic stop conducted by the Suffolk Police Department led to the arrest of the suspect on unrelated firearms and narcotics charges.
Ballistic analysis through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network linked shell casings recovered from the Edenham Court incident to a firearm that had been seized. Investigators from the Fourth Precinct Crime Suppression Squad and the Crime Gun Investigative Squad identified the suspect as 18-year-old Nathaniel Powell of Portsmouth.
Powell has been charged with reckless handling of a firearm, discharging a firearm within city limits, and shooting from a vehicle in a manner that endangered others.
The investigation remains active. Police are asking anyone with information related to the incident to contact Virginia Beach Police or submit tips anonymously through Crime Solvers. As with all criminal cases, the charges are accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Key Points
- A shots fired case was solved months later through ballistic evidence
- An 18-year-old Portsmouth man faces multiple firearm-related charges
- Investigators linked shell casings to a recovered firearm