Virginia Beach police say a shots-fired call from early November has now led to an arrest — thanks in part to forensic ballistics work and coordination across city lines.
On November 2, 2025, officers responded to the 1200 block of Edenham Court after reports that someone had fired a gun from a moving vehicle. No injuries were reported at the time, but discharging a weapon in a residential neighborhood is always taken seriously — especially in a city where subdivisions sit tightly packed and families are often home at night.
The case didn’t break immediately.
On November 27, officers were investigating a separate firearm-related offense that showed similarities to the earlier incident. The next day, November 28, Suffolk Police conducted a traffic stop on the suspect’s vehicle. The driver was arrested on firearms and narcotics charges.
Investigators say the key connection came through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, known as NIBIN. Shell casings collected from the November 2 scene were matched to a firearm that had already been recovered.
Working together, the Virginia Beach Police Department’s Fourth Precinct Crime Suppression Squad, the Crime Gun Investigative Squad, and Suffolk Police identified the suspect as 18-year-old Nathaniel Powell of Portsmouth.
Powell has been charged with:
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Reckless handling of a firearm
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Discharging a firearm within city limits
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Shooting from a vehicle to endanger persons
The investigation remains active. Anyone with information is asked to contact VBPD at (757) 385-2800.
For residents of Virginia Beach, especially in neighborhoods like Edenham Court, the message from law enforcement is clear: gunfire in residential streets will be tracked, matched, and prosecuted — even if it takes weeks and coordination across jurisdictions to build the case.