Members of the Norfolk community gathered at Powhatan Field on Friday night after the shooting near Norview High School left one teenager dead and another injured. The Norview Pilots played the Maury Commodores in a game that many residents treated as a response to the violence, not just another night on the schedule.
Norfolk police said this week that a 17-year-old has been charged in connection with the shooting. That charge follows the deadly incident days before Friday night’s gathering, when people came together at Powhatan Field to show support for one another and for the family left grieving.
Powhatan Field in Norfolk
Michael Williams, a Norfolk resident, said the gathering was about keeping the community together. “I think it’s really important to bring the community together to know that whatever happened that we need to prevent that a lot more, we need to come together,” he said Friday night at Powhatan Field.
Williams also said the evening felt like part of the recovery. “I really think it’s healing, keep bringing the people together,” he said. He asked people to keep the family and that young man in their prayers.
Norview after the shooting
The game carried a second meaning for people in the stands. On the field, the Norview Pilots and Maury Commodores were playing football. Around them, residents were using the same event to answer a recent loss with presence, support, and a shared public gathering.
Norfolk Public Schools is looking at security measures after the shooting. The school system has not laid out the changes in the available facts, leaving the immediate focus on the community response already underway at Powhatan Field for the Norview Pilots.
