Search fatalities

David Lee Jones

Age : 65

Gender : Male

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 :

.
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. Police reported that Seymore continued driving away instead of stopping, and the officer pursued. Seymore's speed exceeded 90 mph as the pursuit continued toward the Greenbrier area.
.
EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 07/15/2021, 65-year-old David Lee Jones was killed with his girlfriend, 54-year-old Jennifer Ann O’Connell, when a vehicle being pursued by Chesapeake police crashed into Jones's vehicle at Crossways Boulevard and Jarman Road near Greenbrier Mall. Jones and O’Connell had no connection to Seymore or the police pursuit.
.
The encounter began on Interstate 64 when a Chesapeake police officer observed Seymore driving recklessly and at high speed. The officer attempted a traffic stop, but Seymore continued driving away while police pursued.
.
During the pursuit, police estimated Seymore's speed at more than 90 mph. He exited Interstate 64 at Greenbrier Parkway and continued into the heavily developed commercial area surrounding Greenbrier Mall.
.
Seymore reached the intersection of Crossways Boulevard and Jarman Road, where he crashed into the vehicle driven by Jones. The collision also involved another vehicle. Jones and O’Connell suffered fatal injuries and died that evening.
.
No PIT/TVI maneuver, stop-stick deployment or roadblock has been identified in the available accounts before the fatal collision. The documented pursuit speed exceeded 90 mph.
.
David and Jennifer were not strangers who happened to be traveling together. They were a couple who had been dating for several years and were also coworkers in the City of Chesapeake Real Estate Assessor's Office. David had worked for the city as a commercial appraiser since 2000, giving him more than two decades of public service when he was killed.
.
David was an Old Dominion University graduate and a highly credentialed professional appraiser. He held the International Association of Assessing Officers' Residential Evaluation Specialist and Assessment Administration Specialist designations and was a Virginia Certified General Appraiser. Before joining Chesapeake, he had worked in banking.
.
Outside work, classical music was an important part of David's life. He was a longtime supporter and board member of the Feldman Chamber Music Society and served for years as its secretary. The organization continues to list him on its board roster “In Memoriam.”
.
People who knew David remembered someone whose presence reliably lifted the people around him. His nephew Grant Gardner said after Seymore's sentencing that David was consistently upbeat and dependable, while fellow Feldman board member Pete Morford described the loss of David and Jennifer as immeasurable.
.
Seymore survived the crash and was prosecuted for the 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.
.
OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Chesapeake Police Department officer who initiated the traffic stop and pursued Seymore has not been publicly identified in the news and subsequent criminal-case reporting located for this reconstruction.
.
DISPOSITION:
Ishmel Seymore pleaded guilty to two counts of felony murder and felony eluding police for the pursuit that killed David Jones and Jennifer O’Connell. In May 2024, he was sentenced to 31 years in prison.

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/