A verbal dispute inside a downtown Hampton tavern on the night of December 29, 2024, ended with the death of 22-year-old Gabriel N. Simon. The altercation at Stillwater Tavern on Settlers Landing Road reportedly escalated around 12:40 a.m., and police say another man fired multiple times, striking Simon. He was taken to a local hospital and later died of his wounds.

Simon, an African American man born in nearby Newport News, was a lifelong Peninsula resident and a Kecoughtan High School graduate who enjoyed music and football. Hampton police identified 22-year-old Terrell Xavier Jones, also of Hampton, as the primary suspect; investigators say Jones began firing after the verbal exchange. Jones was arrested and faces multiple charges including second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, discharging a firearm in an occupied building, reckless handling of a firearm, and possession of a concealed weapon.

If anyone was at Stillwater Tavern that night or has information about the dispute, contact investigators handling the case.