In late summer 2023, Virginia State University lost a freshman to gun violence. Matthew Gibbs, a 19-year-old Black student from Columbia, South Carolina, was studying Mass Communications when he was shot in Petersburg, Virginia on the afternoon of August 24, 2023.

Police were called about 3:45 p.m. and found Matthew inside a vehicle near West South Boulevard and Wakefield Street, beside Walnut Hill Elementary School. A witness said the driver was behaving erratically and had flagged down officers for help. Matthew was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead. Investigators later determined the shooting actually occurred on the 1800 block of Brandon Avenue. The Petersburg Bureau of Police arrested a juvenile suspect the following day; because the suspect was under 18 his name was not released at the time. The university reported deep concern and, together with city officials, increased security on and around campus.

If anyone saw activity on Brandon Avenue or the area around West South Boulevard and Wakefield Street on August 24, 2023, please share what you know.