On October 12, 2013, a Hampton University homecoming after-party at the Magnuson Hotel on Omni Boulevard in Newport News turned deadly. Victor Rasheem Russell, 23, was shot in the chest in the hotel parking lot at about 2:00 AM and was pronounced dead at the scene. A second 23-year-old man was also shot and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police say the violence began with an altercation inside the party that moved outside. Authorities reported that 24-year-old Matthew O’Neil Allen approached Russell and his friend Lavonte Battle while they spoke with two women, one identified as Allen’s girlfriend. The dispute escalated into a physical fight in the lot and Allen allegedly drew a firearm and shot Russell.

Allen was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, malicious wounding, and two counts of using a firearm during a felony. At a probable cause hearing in 2014, witnesses testified that Russell and Battle had been the aggressors and Allen had acted in self-defense; a judge found insufficient evidence to proceed and the charges were dismissed.

Did anyone at the party or nearby that night see how the confrontation began or the moments leading up to the shooting?