A robbery turned violent in Virginia Beach on Monday afternoon, leaving one person shot and hospitalized along the 100 block of Runaway Bay Drive. Police say the investigation into the shooting is still unfolding, with no further details released about what led up to the gunfire.
According to WAVY.com, police confirmed that a person was shot during the robbery and that the victim was taken to an area hospital for treatment. The outlet reports that the incident happened in the 100 block of Runaway Bay Drive on Monday afternoon.
Scene Photos Show Heavy Police Presence
A viewer who shared images with the station captured the aftermath: multiple police vehicles and crime scene tape cordoning off a portion of the street, as reported by WAVY.com. Those photos offer the clearest public glimpse so far of how large the police response was, even as official details remain sparse.
Per the same account, investigators have not released information about the extent of the victim's injuries, the circumstances surrounding the robbery, or whether any suspects have been identified. Police have indicated only that the case remains under investigation.
The case comes amid a citywide decline in shootings: Virginia Beach police said incidents through Sept. 30, 2026, were down 21.2% from the same period a year earlier and 52.7% from 2023, reaching a four-year low. Those figures describe shootings across the city, not robbery cases specifically or conditions around Runaway Bay Drive. The department’s latest citywide shooting figures provide broader context, but do not indicate whether this incident is connected to any other case.
Police Promise Updates as Investigation Continues
Officers say they will share additional information as it becomes available.
A prior Virginia Beach case shows how additional details can emerge as detectives develop leads. After a shooting on Fox Creek Court in September 2024, police said investigators used license-plate-reader cameras to track a suspect’s vehicle to Portsmouth; the suspect was arrested less than 13 hours after the shooting and charged with attempted robbery, among other offenses. That case was separate from the Runaway Bay investigation, but the Fox Creek Court investigation illustrates how police may release more about a shooting as investigative steps produce results.
For now, residents along Runaway Bay Drive are left with the aftermath of crime tape and an open case, while Virginia Beach police continue piecing together what happened during Monday's robbery-turned-shooting.
Virginia law makes robbery a felony, with the classification depending on the alleged conduct and resulting harm. Under the state code, robbery involving a firearm displayed threateningly is a Class 3 felony, while causing serious bodily injury or death makes it a Class 2 felony; other circumstances carry different classifications. Because police have not publicly described the weapon, the victim’s injuries or the robbery’s circumstances in this case, those details do not establish what charges, if any, could apply. The Virginia robbery statute sets out the different penalties.
