Jiansheng Chen, a 60-year-old Chinese immigrant and grandfather who spoke little English, was shot and killed on the night of January 26, 2017, in Chesapeake, Virginia. Chen had been sitting in his minivan in the River Walk community clubhouse parking lot while playing Pokémon Go to connect with family. A security guard, 21-year-old Johnathan Cromwell, confronted Chen and fired ten shots at the van as Chen attempted to back up and turn to leave; five bullets struck Chen, including one in his left upper arm and four in his upper left chest, and Chen died at the scene.

Cromwell said he acted in self-defense, claiming Chen tried to run him over. Prosecutors argued otherwise, noting broken glass from the van was found underneath the vehicle and that shots were fired through the front windshield and driver’s side window, suggesting the vehicle was stationary. The community’s contract called for unarmed patrols, raising questions about why Cromwell was armed. Cromwell was arrested February 16, 2017, charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, convicted by a jury in March 2019, and sentenced to 30 years in June 2019. Chen’s family later filed a wrongful death suit against Cromwell, his employer, and the community association.

Did anyone in the neighborhood see Chen in the parking lot that night or know why a security guard was armed at an unarmed-post community?