Virginia Beach, Va. - A sailor waits in the Virginia Beach jail after he was arrested for second-degree murder. He's accused of killing a man during College Beach week in Virginia Beach.
Court documents NewsChannel 3 obtained give insight into the arrest of Petty Officer Tevin Oliver.
Virginia Beach Police announced they took the 22-year-old into custody on April 28. This was just three days after 20-year-old Stratton Mitchell was shot and killed on Atlantic Avenue.
Court records show that when officers arrived, Mitchell was found with a gunshot wound to his neck.
His family said he went to the Oceanfront to enjoy himself during Beach Week with friends, but he never made it home.
“My first born grandchild. It’s not right to take nobody’s child’s life. It’s not fair," says Regina Brown, Mitchell's grandmother.
A search warrant was used to go into Oliver’s house the day after the shooting, according to court records.
It states police seized a .40 caliber handgun and ammunition from the home on Locust Avenue in Hampton.
Court documents also state that Oliver reported to his command the day of the shooting and said that he was “at 26th Street and Atlantic Avenue at 3 a.m., that he was assaulted, had a .40 caliber handgun, and that he was with a friend.”
A Navy Spokesperson says Oliver joined the military two years ago and has been stationed in Portsmouth since August of 2013.
They say he worked as a machinist.
Meanwhile – Mitchell’s family mourns. They held a memorial for him two days after he was shot and killed.
Alynnell Mitchell, a relative said, “I want justice, justice. It’s not right, not right.”
Oliver had a bond hearing on Tuesday morning. He was granted a $25,000 bond. As of Tuesday night, his name was removed from the listed inmates at the Virginia Beach Jail. Although he is out on bond, the Commonwealth Attorney's Office says Oliver is restricted to staying on the Naval Shipyard and Naval Base.
Oliver has been charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
On April 27th, friends and family members of Stratton Mitchell, 20, of Chesapeake, desperately wanted to know who is responsible for his death. They held a memorial for him before Oliver's arrest.
More than 100 people attended a vigil at Camelot Park in Chesapeake in honor of Mitchell.
“If you know anything, anything, come forward for real. We need closure out here. His mom needs closure, his dad needs closure, his whole family needs closure,” explained Zaquan Moore, a friend of Mitchell’s.
According to Virginia Beach Police, the Emergency Communications and Citizen Services heard a gunshot fired at 3:16 a.m. on Saturday morning, a minute later, police located Mitchell suffering from a gunshot wound in the 2500 block of Atlantic Avenue. Police rushed him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“I found out early this morning. My mom told me and I was in shock that a friend of my friend’s passed away. I was like dang Stratton is gone.”
The shooting happened after the first night of College Beach Weekend. Police say the shooting is not connected, but friends and his mom tell NewsChannel 3 Mitchell was at the Oceanfront to visit friends for Beach Weekend.
The annual event has had problems in the past. In 2013, there were numerous reports of fights, robberies and even some shootings and stabbings. Last year’s event was much calmer. Police have not released information yet about how many arrests were made this year and what the charges were for.
Police have not said how many times Mitchell was shot. They are still investigating the shooting, but anyone with information on the incident are asked to call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
