On the morning of Tuesday, January 3, 2006, gunfire was reported near Old Virginia Beach Road and Barberton Drive in Virginia Beach. At about 8:30 a.m., police found a Black man lying in the roadway; he was identified as 34-year-old Shawn Gary John. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. An autopsy at the State Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed a fatal gunshot wound and ruled the manner of death a homicide.

John lived near where his body was found. He was described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, 190 pounds, with brown eyes, black receding hair, and he wore prescription glasses. The Virginia Beach Police Department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit lists the investigation as active but unsolved; no suspects have been publicly identified and no arrests have been announced.

If anyone has information about Shawn John, his movements that morning, or the area around Old Virginia Beach Road and Barberton Drive, please contact the Virginia Beach Police Cold Case Homicide Unit.