Charles S. Lawton, a 24-year-old Black/African American man, was fatally shot in Norfolk on June 27, 2025. Gunfire was reported in the 8400 block of Chesapeake Boulevard late that Friday night; officers found one man at the scene with serious gunshot wounds. Lawton arrived at a nearby hospital shortly afterward with a life-threatening gunshot injury and was pronounced dead. Authorities determined the two scenes were connected and that the episode involved two victims, the other man hospitalized with serious injuries.

The Norfolk Police Department has opened a homicide investigation into Lawton’s death. No suspects or arrests have been publicly identified and the motive and events leading up to the shooting have not been released. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact detectives.