Semaj Richelle Coleman was a senior at Norfolk State University, studying Health Services Management. She was 22. On Saturday night, she was shot in a parking lot in Norfolk, Virginia, and she died at a hospital.
The shooting happened in the 5700 block of East Virginia Beach Boulevard. Around 11:45 p.m., officers went to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where Semaj had been brought in with a gunshot wound. She did not survive her injuries.
Semaj was from Mollusk, a small community in Lancaster County on Virginia’s Northern Neck. At school, she took part in the Spartans Promise to Persist with Purpose program. She had also just been inducted into the National Association for Allied Health Professions.
Students who knew her say she was bright and caring. The university’s president’s office called her an active member of the Spartan community. She was close to finishing her degree.
Police say their early findings show the shooting was an accident. A 23-year-old man, Matthew B. Croslin of Newport News, is charged in connection with her death. He faces involuntary manslaughter and firearm charges. He is being held without bond at the Norfolk City Jail.
Her family is hurting. They asked people to keep Semaj’s mother, Melody, in their thoughts. They are mourning a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a niece and a friend.
The school says counseling and support are open to students, faculty and staff. It also says there is no known threat to the campus. The shooting happened off campus.
Police are still investigating, and they have not shared more about what happened in that parking lot. Our thoughts are with Semaj’s family and everyone at Norfolk State who knew her.
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