On May 17, 2022, 20-year-old Stariyana Latazia-Lynn Patterson was fatally shot during a dispute at the Parkwood Manor apartments on West Little Creek Road in Norfolk, Virginia. Patterson was not part of the original dispute but was present when a confrontation between several women over rumored comments escalated into violence. She was unzipping a backpack that reportedly contained a gun when Quasia Elizabeth Sheppard opened fire, striking Patterson in the face; Patterson was pronounced dead at the scene after police arrived at about 4:10 p.m.

Norfolk Police later arrested 21-year-old Arien Dejuan Clinton and 21-year-old Quasia Sheppard on May 25, 2022, and initially charged both with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Court proceedings included a self-defense claim for Sheppard that the judge found unsupported by the evidence presented. Both defendants subsequently entered Alford pleas to voluntary manslaughter; Clinton was found guilty and sentenced to four years and two months for handing the gun to Sheppard, and Sheppard was found guilty with sentencing scheduled for 2026.

Stariyana was described as having a vibrant personality with a passion for music and writing. Does anyone have information about Stariyana’s life, the events at Parkwood Manor that day, or witnessed the confrontation?