HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) — Nearly eight months after an investigation began, the Hopewell Police Department continues to search for answers after a fatal shooting left two teenagers dead on the railroad tracks and two other teenagers were injured.
Shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Friday, June 24, 2022, officers were called to the intersection of Elm Street and Arlington Road for a report of a shooting. When officers arrived, they found two victims — Jasir Culver, 18, of Petersburg, and Micah Coles, 14, of Hopewell — lying on the railroad tracks with multiple gunshot wounds. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene by Hopewell Fire and EMS.
The following day, police announced that an investigation determined that two 15-year-olds had been killed in the same incident. They were hospitalized, but survived.
On February 6, 2023, Hopewell detectives said the investigation is ongoing as they try to identify the victims’ families. Several leads have been developed, but more information and evidence are needed to make an arrest, police said.
“Someone out there knows what happened, and we’re asking the community to come forward so justice is served,” the department said in a recent release. “The family of Jasir Culver is offering an additional reward for any information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Detective Chief Cameron List of the Hopewell Criminal Investigation Division at 804-541-2284.