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Jennifer Ann O'Connell

Age : 54

Gender : Female

Race : White

Date : 07/15/2021

Location : Crossways Boulevard and Jarman Road

City : Chesapeake

County : Chesapeake

State : Virginia

Agency : Chesapeake Police Department

Officer(s) :Not disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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REASON FOR POLICE CHASE:
Speeding and reckless driving. A Chesapeake Police Department officer encountered Ishmel Seymore driving at high speed on Interstate 64 and attempted to stop him. Seymore continued driving away while police pursued. During the pursuit, police estimated his speed at more than 90 mph before he exited I-64 at Greenbrier Parkway and continued into the Greenbrier commercial district.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 07/15/2021, 54-year-old Jennifer Ann O’Connell was killed with her boyfriend, 65-year-old David Lee Jones, when a vehicle being pursued by Chesapeake police crashed into Jones's vehicle at Crossways Boulevard and Jarman Road near Greenbrier Mall. Jennifer was an uninvolved passenger and had no connection to Seymore or the police pursuit.
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The encounter began on Interstate 64 after a Chesapeake officer observed Seymore driving recklessly and attempted a traffic stop. Seymore continued driving away, and the officer pursued.
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The pursuit reached speeds exceeding 90 mph. Seymore exited I-64 at Greenbrier Parkway and continued into the busy commercial area surrounding Greenbrier Mall.
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At Crossways Boulevard and Jarman Road, Seymore crashed into the vehicle occupied by David and Jennifer. Another vehicle was also struck. David and Jennifer were both killed.
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No PIT/TVI maneuver, stop-stick deployment or roadblock has been identified in the available accounts before the fatal collision. Police documented speeds exceeding 90 mph during the pursuit.
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Jennifer and David had been dating for several years and shared both their personal lives and their profession. Both worked as commercial appraisers in the City of Chesapeake Real Estate Assessor's Office. Jennifer had joined the city in 2016.
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Jennifer was a graduate of George Mason University and Marymount University and had an extensive appraisal career spanning private industry and government. At the time of her death, she had completed the educational requirements toward the International Association of Assessing Officers' Residential Evaluation Specialist designation.
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Her professional colleagues remembered much more than her résumé. Jennifer was active in her church, loved animals and nature, was an enthusiastic Virginia Tech fan and had a particular affection for Irish culture. The Virginia Association of Assessing Officers remembered her as outgoing and caring, with a warm sense of humor.
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Jennifer had also recently begun volunteering with the Feldman Chamber Music Society, where David had served for many years. Their deaths therefore left an absence not only in their families and city workplace but also among the local cultural and professional communities in which they participated.
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Their deaths continued to affect their coworkers years later. Chesapeake Real Estate Assessor Greg Daniels said after Seymore's sentencing that he still avoided the intersection where Jennifer and David were killed whenever possible because passing the crash site brought back painful memories.
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Seymore survived and was prosecuted for causing both deaths. He eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of felony murder and felony eluding police. On 05/23/2024, he was sentenced to 31 years in prison.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Chesapeake Police Department officer who attempted to stop and pursued Seymore has not been publicly identified in the news and subsequent criminal-case reporting located for this reconstruction.
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DISPOSITION:
Ishmel Seymore pleaded guilty to two counts of felony murder and felony eluding police for the pursuit that killed Jennifer O’Connell and David Jones. In May 2024, he was sentenced to 31 years in prison.
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SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/chesapeake/chesapeake-police-pursuit-deadly-crash-crossways-blvd/291-8aba9822-e1ba-4e93-96af-230c778a52d2
https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/chesapeake/man-involved-in-deadly-chesapeake-crash-sentenced-to-31-years-in-prison/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-involved-deadly-chesapeake-crash-164758978.html
https://vaao.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Fall-2021-Network-1.pdf
https://www.feldmanchambermusic.org/about-the-feldman-chamber-society/