In the early hours of May 16, 1975, gunshots on the 200 block of 10th Street in Virginia Beach led police to 20-year-old Joseph J. Kelly, a U.S. Navy sailor from Dam Neck Naval Base. Responders found him with a gunshot wound at 12:05 a.m.; he was taken to Virginia Beach General Hospital but did not survive. The Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide.

Witnesses reported a distinctive yellow 1972 or 1973 Chevrolet with large whitewalls in the area around the time of the shooting, occupied by two Black males. No motive was established, and the case later grew cold. The Virginia Beach Police Department has not publicly announced any arrests or identified any specific suspects tied to Kelly’s killing.

If anyone has information about the yellow Chevrolet or the two men seen that night, please share what is known with authorities.