Pharrell calls for “transparency, honesty and justice” after cousin shot and killed by police

NME

Pharrell is calling for “transparency, honesty, and justice” following the death of his cousin in a shooting incident by police.

In a social media post to Instagram, Pharrell revealed that his cousin Donovan was recently killed following a series of shootings on Virginia Beach in the US.

Pharrell wrote: “The loss of these lives is a tragedy beyond measure. My cousin Donovon was killed during the shootings.

“He was a bright light and someone who always showed up for others. It is critical my family and the other victims’ families get the transparency, honesty and justice they deserve.

“Virginia Beach is the epitome of hope and tenacity and, as a community, we will get through this and come out even stronger.”

You can see the full post below:

A number of Pharrell’s fellow artists and collaborators including The Weeknd, Swiss Beatz, Kenya Barris and more paid their condolences in the comments on the post.

As reported on Sky News, Donovon Lynch, who was 25, was shot and killed in Virgina Beach last Friday (March 26) by a police officer amid a series of three separate “chaotic shootings” in the area. Two people including Lynch were killed whilst eight others were injured in another separate event.

In a statement, Virginia Police Beach Department said that homicide detectives had carried out interviews with an officer involved in the shooting of Lynch, as well as an officer who witnessed the incident as well as an “independent witness.”

The statement added that both of the offers claimed Lynch was “brandishing a handgun at the time of the shooting” and that it was “recovered from the scene.”

A 28-year-old woman, Deshayla E Harris, died of a gunshot wound in another shooting that night, with police believing that she was an innocent bystander.

Eight further people were injured in a separate shooting that occurred just after 11pm on Friday. All were taken to local hospitals with their conditions ranging from “serious to life-threatening.”

Mr Lynch was shot dead by a police officer in a third incident – which happened when, as Sky reports, “officers were investigating the original shootings and shots were fired nearby.”

The case has sparked controversy after it was revealed that the officer who killed Lynch was wearing a body camera but for “unknown reasons”, according to the police chief, it was not switched on.

The officer who shot Lynch has now been placed on administrative leave.

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