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Young Virginia Reporter Was Killed In Shooting That She Would’ve Been Assigned To Cover
An editor at the Virginian-Pilot contacted 25-year-old Sierra Jenkins to cover a late-night shooting in Norfolk, unaware that she was killed in the incident.
A young reporter for The Virginian-Pilot newspaper was among two killed on Saturday morning in a shooting in downtown Norfolk, Virginia.
Sierra Jenkins, 25, who had been out at Chicho’s Pizza Backstage with a friend, was a journalist with the Virginian-Pilot. She was due to be on call to cover breaking news and an editor from the newspaper repeatedly tried contacting her after learning of the shooting on Granby Street at around 2 a.m., unaware that she was among the victims, reported The Virginian-Pilot.
Another victim, 25-year-old Devon Harris, was pronounced dead at the scene and three more were injured in the shooting, according to Norfolk Police.
According to the newspaper, the manager of Chicho’s, Rory Schindel, said that bartenders had announced last call around 1:30 a.m.
“It was just a normal night,” Schindel told The Pilot.
“There were a lot of people there, as usual, and there was a great atmosphere inside.”
When the restaurant and bar began to close, customers began to leave, including Jenkins. An argument then began outside of the establishment followed by gunshots, authorities said.
Jenkins and the other victims were caught in the line of fire. When police responded, the young journalist was transported to the hospital where she later died due to her injuries, police said in a statement.
Demmi Nimer, Jenkins’ best friend, was out with her that night. “I’m devastated,” she wrote to The Pilot.
“I was with her when everything happened and just wish I could’ve done more to help her.”
Jenkins, who was also a former CNN news assistant and Atlanta Magazine intern, was described as a “bright and talented woman with so much going for her,” by Kris Worrell, editor-in-chief of Virginia Media.
“Her passion for journalism was undeniable and our community is better because of her reporting.”
Jenkins had grown up in Norfolk and graduated from Granby High School. She then went on to study journalism at Georgia State University.
Jenkins’ father, Maurice Jenkins, told CBS 6 that his daughter had “all kinds of life and opportunity ahead of her, but it was cut short because of … senseless violence.”
“She was just a great all-around person. She was a great daughter, a great sister, a great friend,” Jenkins told CBS 6.
Jenkins had just celebrated her birthday only six days before her death, reported The Pilot.
Police are continuing to investigate but have not announced any arrests in connection to the shooting.
