Virginia Beach City Council Special Session — April 17, 2026

On April 17, 2026, the Virginia Beach City Council convened a special formal session, called by Mayor Bobby Dyer under Virginia Beach City Code 2-21, to consider an ordinance authorizing a temporary curfew and certain additional actions to assist law enforcement in the Oceanfront resort area. The measure followed two mass shootings — six people shot on March 6 and eight shot on April 11 in confrontations lasting roughly 12 seconds each — which Police Chief Newgate described as a public safety crisis rather than an acceptable level of crime. After extensive public testimony and council deliberation, the council approved an amended version of the ordinance by a vote of 10 to 1.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Matthew Knox (Keystone Place resident, 21-year military veteran) opposed the curfew, calling it an unconstitutional band-aid that fails to address root causes, and urged a no vote.
• Jason Miller (District 7 resident) commended VBPD for a 27% crime reduction over two years, opposed the curfew as insufficient, and proposed a Virginia Beach Ocean Front Ambassadors volunteer program as a force multiplier to supplement police.
• John Zirkle (President, Virginia Beach Hotel Association) voiced opposition, citing tourism's $3.9 billion economic impact, 34,000 jobs, and $1,823 in tax savings per family; he offered conditional support for a single weekend curfew but urged adjustments and no curfew during the Stars, Stripes & Spurs festival.
• Neil Acor opposed the curfew on civil liberties grounds and criticized vague language in the ordinance — specifically the phrase "authorize certain additional actions" — asking that policy be stated plainly.
• Darwin "Jimmy" Rogers (68-year resident) expressed support for the curfew as a necessary short-term measure and proposed a privately funded ($500,000) private security partnership to supplement police.
• Dwayne Furlow (owner, Flipper McCoy's arcade) said police lack needed tools and resources, noting that between 22nd and 23rd Streets from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. he counted only nine officers despite the 90-officer deployment.
• Stephanie Vann (resident, 27 Atlantic high-rise) strongly opposed the curfew, citing First Amendment concerns, selective enforcement risks, direct impact on her daily life, and stated she and others are prepared to participate in legal action; she referenced Attorney Tim Anderson's warning of immediate litigation.
• Brandon Ramsey (owner, Peabodies, in business 59 years) opposed the curfew, stating up to 90% of his business occurs during curfew hours and calling the proposal "a surrender" that defers rather than solves violence.
• Kelly Griffiths (Title Events and Staffing) urged the city to enforce Virginia Code 6 VAC20-172 requiring licensed private security (rather than crowd managers) at venues, which she said would add trained observers working proactively with police.
• Ahmed Hamashi presented a petition with approximately 600 signatures from business owners asking for a collaborative plan; he thanked the chief for his presence at the Oceanfront.
• Dr. Janet Garcia (new owner, Sun Glass Shack) supported increased safety measures and police presence but opposed an all-ages curfew, warning that broad restrictions could signal the Oceanfront is no longer family-friendly and deter seasonal tourism.
• January Windrow (Ocean Horizon Properties) represented two dozen mom-and-pop tenants, urging council to reject a "knee-jerk reaction" and instead explore programming such as extending park-after-dark activities to 17th and 24th Street Parks.
• Deborah Casir (Ocean Horizon Properties) opposed the curfew as a blunt instrument that is difficult to enforce and harms nighttime commerce, citing the city's third-highest meal tax in the nation and recalling the 1989 post-riot police-state atmosphere she said was a public relations nightmare.
• Norman Gauthier argued that if the situation is a true emergency, the city should use emergency alcohol-sale suspension statutes (4.1-225.1) and seek state liability legislation (like Chesapeake/Portsmouth 15.2-1130) against venues that fail to provide adequate security.
• JD Johnson (owner, Nightmare Mansion and Lost Planet) opposed the curfew, saying it would decimate his business, questioned how the city can shut down 31 blocks while claiming inadequate manpower, and called for better, more numerous high-definition cameras.
• Rhoda Young (Virginia Beach resident, nearly 60 years old) opposed the curfew as an infringement on adults' freedom, asserting the council lacks authority to tell grown adults when they may visit the Oceanfront and urging leaders to engage directly with the community via social media.
• Kevin Bryan (manager, Atlantic Fun Park, 15 years) opposed the closure, noting 90% of business occurs after 9 p.m., workers would lose hours, and other cities (Panama City, Daytona, Miami, Myrtle Beach, Fort Lauderdale) did not shut down their business districts.
• Stacey Braithwaite (fourth-generation native) said the response is not enough, called the situation a safety issue, supported police 110%, and argued that limited curfews merely shift or delay violence; she wanted harsher consequences for offenders.
• Jamal Gunn (Chair, Virginia Beach Human Rights Commission) reported the commission was split; he expressed doubts about the curfew's immediate impact but acknowledged police need additional tools, and stressed the ordinance protects perpetrators, victims, and bystanders from potential deadly force situations.
• Liz Rossi said the root problem is inadequate laws and a lack of backing for police, criticizing repeat fines and tickets as ineffective.
• Tim Ritter (Family Fund Experience Theater) said families want their beach back and argued the curfew alone is not enough; he called for a consistent posture of broad enforcement of every small offense to crowd out bad actors.
• Melissa Lucason called the curfew a reaction, not a solution, and asserted that underfunded commercial real estate assessment (honor-system reporting) deprives the city of revenue needed for proactive safety programming; she also noted she is a legal gun owner who supports common-sense gun laws.
• Leah Marie (associate broker, resident since 1985) opposed the blanket curfew and presented a layered plan of strategic street closures, foot-based police presence, immediate disorderly-conduct enforcement, and business security coordination used by other tourist cities.
• Rick Boyles (President, Virginia Beach Council of Civic Organizations) reluctantly supported the curfew, citing city data showing 62% of incidents occur between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., and volunteered to serve on a task force.
• Jason Bonner said the problem is decades old, that the curfew is a band-aid that would simply displace violence to Town Center, and urged a comprehensive community plan rather than a temporary fix.
• Leslie Washington (Broadlawn Road resident and Oceanfront property owner) opposed the curfew, urging preventive measures, engagement with clergy walking the streets, and asking whether previously confiscated weapons offenders remain jailed.
• Debbie Lou Haig (President, Virginia Beach Restaurant Association) opposed the curfew, questioned the 9 p.m. start given shootings occurred around 7 p.m., and asked that Stars, Stripes & Spurs weekend be exempt.
• Bernita Richardson called the curfew a reaction rather than a strategy, arguing safety cannot mean shutting the city down and asking for a plan beyond the curfew.
• Jack Majetti (23-year-old resident at 27 Atlantic) called the restriction absurd, argued crime will persist regardless of timing, and suggested the large crowd seen in video constituted an unlawful assembly that could have been dispersed.
• Jerry Hun (25-year-old working resident) said young working people cannot attend daytime meetings and that the city lacks activities for youth; he argued the curfew pushes crime elsewhere and called for reallocating funds toward youth programming.

Discussion Items

• Chief Newgate's presentation: The chief described five years of prior efforts (ShotSpotter gunshot detection, three new resort liaison positions, electric trikes, partnerships with Virginia State Police and the Sheriff's Office) and legal limitations: open carry is legal, random stop-and-frisk is not permitted, jaywalking and loitering are not illegal, marijuana odor cannot justify a stop, and DUI checkpoints cannot be deployed arbitrarily. He stated the department is 88 officers short (nearly one full precinct) and that he overspent his overtime budget by $1 million last year. He noted the unaccompanied-minor curfew (lowered citywide from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m., with a 7 p.m. imminent-threat curfew after the March 7 shooting) reduced Saturday crowds from roughly 2,000–3,000 to about 1,000, yet shootings still occurred with 90 officers in a 10-block radius. He reported the third and final arrest had been made in the April 11 shooting. He cited Panama City Beach's experience — 7 shootings in 10 days last year, followed by a 2.5-week curfew — and one shooting with no one struck this year as evidence curfews work.
• Councilman Ross (District 6) questioned the chief on technology, noting the council has provided $3–4 million for cameras and technology in recent years; the chief acknowledged lighting deficiencies and that city-owned cameras are lacking, and mentioned the upcoming drones-as-first-responders program. The chief said gun buybacks are not effective but he would support any effort to remove one gun from the street.
• Vice Mayor Wilson asked about officer recruitment; the chief attributed shortages to a nationwide profession-wide crisis, the stigma of the defunding movement, qualified-immunity legislative threats, and the line-of-duty murders of two officers last year, which accelerated retirements. The chief confirmed the council has funded 100% of his requests.
• Councilman Ross then moved an amended ordinance setting the curfew from 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. (rather than the chief's requested 9 p.m.), covering Friday and Saturday nights this weekend and the Friday night of Week 17 (the historically dangerous college beach weekend); the motion was seconded.
• Council members' closing remarks: Councilwoman Rosemary noted 20 people were shot in a 35-day period with no fatalities and that bullets do not discriminate; she urged civility and supported a task force. Councilwoman Jennifer Rouse said she was leaning toward a no vote, preferred a different option (such as a gun-free zone), but acknowledged no option is ideal. Councilman (Cummings) framed the measure as a "strategic pause" during March–April crime peaks and urged state delegation engagement; Councilman Josh confirmed that nearly all suspects and victims in the two shootings were from Richmond/Henrico or more than 50–100 miles away, not Virginia Beach.

Key Outcomes

• Vote: The council approved the amended ordinance by a vote of 10 to 1.
• Curfew specifics: A temporary curfew from 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. applies to all ages in the geographic zone from Rudy Loop to 31st Street and west of Pacific Avenue, on Friday and Saturday nights (with the Friday-night curfew ending Saturday morning at 5 a.m., and the Saturday-night curfew ending Sunday morning at 5 a.m.), plus the Friday night of Week 17 (ending Saturday morning at 5 a.m.). The existing 7 p.m. unaccompanied-minor curfew remains in effect in the same area. Exceptions include transit through the zone, travel to and from work or home, organized events and First Amendment activity (though walking a dog on public property during curfew was described as potentially challenging).
• City Attorney Mark Stiles stated the curfew is a defensible time, place, and manner restriction: it addresses a demonstrated public safety concern, applies equally regardless of viewpoint, and is limited in dates, times, and geography.
• Next steps: Council members committed to forming a community task force, hosting briefings on how other resort cities (Miami Beach, Panama City Beach, Myrtle Beach, Outer Banks) addressed similar violence, engaging the faith community and violence-prevention programs, and working with the state delegation to revive the failed pop-up event legislation in the next General Assembly session.

*Note: The transcript's opening references the meeting being called for "Thursday, April 26th" while later discussion refers to Saturday, April 18, creating a minor internal inconsistency; the date used here (April 17, 2026) follows the meeting metadata.